ENGLISH 

CA  THEDRAL 

MUSIC 


*  # 


John  S.  Bumpus 


FROM   THE  LIBRARY  OF 
REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON,   D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED    BY   HIM   TO 

THE   LIBRARY  OF 

PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY 


Division       S^-^ 
Section  /^    // 


WILLIAM     BOYCE,    Mcs.D.,    Cantab. 
From  the  drawing  by  J.  K.  Sherwin,  Engraver  to  George  III. 


A  HISTORY  OF  EHGtlSH 


CATHEDRAL    MOSiC 

1549-1889 


By, 
JOHN  S.  BUMPUS 

Hon.  Librarian,  S.   Michael's  College,  Tenbury 


#    # 


"  Here  let  me  worship  God  where  pillars  rise 

In  towering  loftiness,  and  arching  meet, 
Centring  on  God  above  our  wandering  eyes  ; 

Where  Art  and  Nature  blend  in  union  sweet, 

And  leaves  and  flowers  in  many  a  quaint  conceit 
Garland  the  roof  with  sylvan  traceries  ; 

Hither  would  I  resort  with  willing  feet, 
To  render  God  a  worthy  sacrifice  : — 
Hither,  where  cunning  hands  in  glass  have  striven 

To  shadow  forth  with  pencil-beams  of  light, 

And  colours  deep  and  rich  the  Gospel-story  ; 

Where  music  thrills  us  with  a  strange  delight, 
Lifting  with  harmony  our  souls  to  Heaven, 

And  waking  echoes  from  the  hills  of  glory." 

Rev.  Richard  Wilton. 

("Cathedral  Service.") 


New  York:   JAMES   POTT  &    Co. 
London:   T.  WERNER   LAURIE 


CONTENTS   OF   SECOND    SERIES 


CHAPTER   IX 

PAGE 

Composers  of  the  Later  Georgian  Period         .     269 


CHAPTER   X 
The  Later  Georgian  Period  {continued)       .         .     308 

CHAPTER   XI 

Cathedral  Music  and  its  Composers  During 
the  First  Half  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century 363 

CHAPTER   XII 

Cathedral  Music  During  the  Second  Half  of 

the  Nineteenth  Century    ....     459 

Appendix 561 

Bibliography  of  the  English  Cathedral  Service     571 
Index    .........     574 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


Portrait  :  Dr.  Boyce 


To  face  Title 


Interior  of  Magdalen  College  Chapel,  Oxford, 
in  the  time  of  Drs.  William  and  Philip 
Hayes     ........     286 


Interior  of  Winchester  College  Chapel 


286 


Fac-simile   of   a   page   from   an    Autograph   of 

Dr.  P.  Hayes 296 


Fac-simile  of   a   page   from   an   Autograph   of 


Dr.  Nares 


Portraits  :    Dr.    W.    Hayes  ;    Dr.    Nares  ;   Dr 
Cooke  ;  Dr.  Dupuis      .... 

Portraits  :    Dr.     Arnold  ;    Dr.     Ayrton  ;    Dr 
Beckwith  ;  Samuel  Wesley 

Portraits  :    Thomas    Attwood  ;    Dr.    Crotch 
W.  Hawes  ;  J.  Stafford  Smith  . 


306 

330 
400 


Fac-simile  of  an  Autograph    of  Sir  John  Goss     514 


viii  LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Portrait  :    The    Rev.    Sir   Frederick   A.   Gore 

Ouseley 531 

Fac-simile  of  a  Page  of  a  Full  Score,  in  the 

Autograph  of  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley         .     548 


For  the  portrait  of  Dr.  Ayrton,  the  author  has  to  express  his  acknowledg- 
ments to  the  Rev.  G.  E.  Alvis,  Minor  Canon  of  Ripon,  by  whom  it  was 
photographed  from  the  original  painting,  now  in  the  possession  of  Edward 
Ayrton,  Esq.,  of  Lower  Bentham,  Lancaster. 

The  portrait  of  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley  is  from  a  photograph  by  Messrs. 
Jones,  Son,  and   Harper,  Ludlow. 

With  these  exceptions,  all  the  illustrations  are  from  drawings,  engraved 
portraits,  books,  and  autographs,  in  the  possession  of  the  author. 


The  design  of  the  cover  is  adopted  from  one  used  for   The  Parish  Choir,  in 
1846.     The  name  of  the  draughtsman  in  not  known. 

The  organ,  on  the  back  of  the  cover,  is  from  a  design  by  A.  Welby  Pugin. 


A    HISTORY    OF    ENGLISH 
CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

CHAPTER   IX 

COMPOSERS    OF   THE    LATER    GEORGIAN    PERIOD 

The  presence  of  Handel  in  England  had  a  marked 
effect  upon  several  of  our  Church  composers,  but 
there  was  one  who,  with  all  due  reverence  for  that 
mighty  genius,  neither  pillaged  from  him  nor  ser- 
vilely imitated  him.  Allusion  is  made  to  William 
Boyce,  whose  name  as  a  professor  and  composer 
stands  in  the  first  rank  of  English  musicians.  In  his 
productions  for  the  Church  there  is  a  sterling  and 
original  merit,  founded  as  much  on  the  study  of  our 
earlier  writers  as  on  that  of  the  best  masters  of  other 
countries — his  characteristics  of  clearness,  facility, 
and  strength  imparting  to  his  compositions  a  stamp 
peculiarly  his  own. 

William  Boyce  was  born  in  the  City  of  London 
in  1 7 10,  and  at  the  usual  age  was  admitted  into  the 
Almonry  or  Choristers'  School  of  S.  Paul's  Cathedral 
under  Charles  King,  Mus.B.  He  subsequently 
studied  under  Greene  and  Pepusch,  and  in  1734 
received  his  first  organ  appointment,  that  of 
Oxford  Chapel,*  known  since  1832  as  S.  Peter's,  Vere 

*  At  Oxford  Chapel  Boyce  succeeded  Joseph  Centlivre,  and  at 
S.  Michael's,  Cornhill,  Joseph  Kelway.  In  the  second  edition  of 
the  Cathedral  Music  it  is  erroneously  stated  by  Boyce's  biographer 
(Sir    John   Hawkins),  and  it   has   since    been    almost   universally 

T  269 


270     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Street.  From  1736  to  1768  he  was  organist  of 
S.  Michael's,  Cornhill,  and,  from  1749  t0  x7^9> 
of  All-Hallows  the  Great  and  Less,  Thames  Street, 
now  demolished.  In  1736  he  succeeded  John 
Weldon  as  Composer  to  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  in 
1758,  on  the  death  of  John  Travers,  was  appointed 
organist,  having  in  the  interval  (1755)  succeeded 
Dr.  Greene,  as  Master  of  the  King's  Band  of  Mu- 
sicians. For  many  years  he  conducted  at  the 
festivals  of  the  Sons  of  the  Clergy,  in  S.  Paul's, 
composing  specially  for  these  occasions  two  of  his 
finest  anthems,  "  Blessed  is  he  that  considereth  the 
poor  and  needy,"  and  "  Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our 
refuge,"  both  of  which  were  published  after  his 
death,  with  the  original  orchestral  accompaniments. 
The  degree  of  Doctor  in  Music  was  conferred  upon 
Boyce  at  Cambridge  in  1749,  n^s  exercise  on  the  oc- 
casion being  a  noble  anthem,  "  O  be  joyful  in  God, 
all  ye  lands,"  from  which  the  remarkably  fine  con- 
cluding chorus,  "  O  praise  our  God,  ye  people,"  has 
been  reprinted  in  Novello's  series  of  Octavo  Anthems. 

reiterated,  that  the  two  City  organistships  were  resigned  on  his 
appointment  as  organist  of  the  Chapel  Royal  in  1758.  As  shown 
above,  he  continued  to  hold  S.  Michael's  for  nearly  ten,  and  All- 
Hallows  for  nearly  eleven  years  longer.  At  the  former  he  could 
hardly  be  said  to  have  resigned,  and  at  the  latter  he  was  actually 
dismissed,  and  some  one  was  paid  5s.  3d.  to  officiate  between 
1 8  May  and  8  June,  when  a  Mr.  Evans  was  appointed.  It  would 
seem  that  one  otherwise  so  occupied  as  Dr.  Boyce  could  not  bestow 
the  desired  attention  on  his  offices,  the  salaries  whereof  were  at  that 
time  only  £)^o  a  year.  Sir  John  Hawkins*  statement  is  the  more 
remarkable,  as  he  and  Dr.  Boyce  were  contemporaries  and  intimate 
friends.  The  year  1749  was  tnat  °^  tne  ^rst  erection  of  an  organ 
in  All-Hallows,  Thames  Street,  and  owing  to  his  birth  and  long 
residence  in  that  parish  Boyce  was  especially  requested  by  the 
parishioners  to  become  their  first  organist. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     271 

The  lack  of  public  support  in  that  great  under- 
taking, the  Cathedral  Music,  deterred  Boyce  from 
publishing  any  of  his  ecclesiastical  compositions. 
He  was  constantly  urged  to  do  so,  but  his  in- 
variable reply  was  that  he  was  contented  that 
they  should  remain  in  the  "  Church  books,"  and 
that  he  would  never  solicit  the  aid  of  a  sub- 
scription to  enable  him  to  publish  what  might  fail 
of  being  well  received.  After  his  death,  in  1779, 
two  volumes  of  his  Services  and  Anthems  were 
published  under  the  editorship  of  Dr.  Philip  Hayes 
— the  first  in  1780  ;  the  second,  for  the  benefit  of 
his  widow,  in  1790.* 

The  first  of  these  volumes  contained  a  verse 
Te  Deum  and  Jubilate  in  A,  and  fifteen  anthems, 
conspicuous  among  which  stand,  "  Give  the  King 
Thy  judgments,"  with  its  picturesque  concluding 
chorus,  "  All  Kings  shall  fall  down  before  Him  "  ; 
"  Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man  "  ;  "  By  the 
Waters  of  Babylon  "  ;  f  "  If  we  believe  that  Jesus 
died  "  ;  "  Turn  Thee  unto  me  "  ;  and  "  Sing,  O 
heavens." 

The  second  volume  contained  a  setting  of  the 
Te  Deum  and  Jubilate  in  C  major,  in  the  short, 
full,  and  simple  harmonic  style  of  Charles  King, 
and  twelve  anthems,  all  of  which  have  long  been  con- 
sidered as  classics  in  our  cathedrals — "  I  have  surely 
built  Thee  an  house,"  X  "  O  where  shall  wisdom  be 
found  ?  "  "  The  heavens  declare,"  "  The  Lord  is 

*  Copies  of  all  the  anthems  in  these  two  volumes,  in  the  autograph 
score  of  Dr.  Philip  Hayes,  are  in  the  possession  of  the  writer. 

t  The  Hayes  autograph  copy  of  this  anthem  has  accompaniments 
for  two  hautboys  and  two  violins. 

\  Composed  for  the  reopening  of  S.  Margaret's,  Westminster, 
1759- 


272     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

King,"  and  "  O  give  thanks,"  for  example.  The 
last-named,  a  splendid  piece  of  writing  in  eight 
parts,  had  appeared  some  time  previously  in  The 
Cathedral  Magazine  with  the  name  of  Croft 
erroneously  attached  as  composer.  The  next  editor 
to  publish  pieces  by  Boyce  was  Dr.  Arnold,  who, 
in  his  Cathedral  Music  (1790),  included  six  anthems 
(among  which  were  the  dignified  "  Save  me,  O 
God,"  and  the  sprightly  "  Blessing  and  Glory  "), 
and  the  short,  full  Te  Deum  and  Jubilate  in  A 
major,  still  widely  used  in  our  cathedrals  and 
churches.  The  Te  Deum  was  originally  composed 
for  the  coronation  of  George  III,  in  1761,  and  it 
was  sung  also  at  those  of  George  IV  (1821),  William 
IV  (1831),  and  Victoria  (1838).  Two  more  anthems 
were  inserted  by  Page  in  his  Harmonia  Sacra  (1800), 
that  editor  further  enriching  his  collection  with 
a  fine  Burial  Service  in  E  minor,  written  by  Boyce 
for  the  funeral  of  Captain  Coram,  projector  of  the 
Foundling  Hospital,  1  April,  175 1,  the  choir  of 
S.  Paul's  attending  and  the  composer  presiding  at 
the  Chapel  organ  on  the  occasion. 

New  editions  of  the  1780  and  1790  volumes  were 
published  by  J.  Alfred  Novello  in  1846,  when  the 
opportunity  was  taken  of  adding  two  more,  con-, 
taining  services  and  anthems  by  Boyce  hitherto 
unpublished  or  gathered  from  other  collections. 
The  four  volumes,  familiarly  known  to  cathedral 
men  as  "  Boyce's  Own,"  were  completed  in  1849. 
Edited  with  loving  care  by  Vincent  Novello,  they 
form  an  enduring  tribute  to  the  genius  of  one  of 
our  greatest  Church  composers.* 

*  The  fourth  volume  contains  a  useful  Thematic  Catalogue  of 
the  whole  of  Boyce's  services,  anthems,  etc. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    273 

Amongst  the  services  in  the  third  volume  is  a 
Te  Deum  in  G  major,  to  which  a  Jubilate  was  added 
in  an  inferior  style  by  Dr.  Philip  Hayes.  A  note 
on  the  original  score  of  this  Jubilate,  now  in  the 
Bodleian  Library  at  Oxford,  states  that  it  was 
"  begun  and  finished  on  the  same  day — Jan.  15, 
1780." 

Of  the  Burial  Service  the  enthusiastic  editor, 
Vincent  Novello,  observed  :  "  From  its  dignified 
simplicity  and  pathetic  solemnity  of  style,  it  de- 
serves to  be  much  more  generally  known,  and  more 
frequently  brought  forward."  It  is  a  singular 
circumstance  that  Boyce  wrote  no  music  for  the 
evening  service.  The  full  Morning  Service  in  A 
was  continued  in  the  same  style  by  Dr.  Arnold  in 
the  form  of  a  setting  of  the  Sanctus,  Kyrie,  Credo, 
Magnificat,  and  Nunc  Dimittis  ;  the  whole  fami- 
liarly known  as  "  Boyce  and  Arnold  in  A."  # 
Similar  completions,  so  far  as  the  evening  service 
was  concerned,  were  made  by  James  Rodgers, 
organist  of  Peterborough  Cathedral  (1 774-1 784)  ; 
by  Richard  Langdon,  organist  of  Bristol  Cathedral 
(1 778-1 781)  ;  and  by  Highmore  Skeats,  organist 
of  Canterbury  Cathedral  (1803-183 1).  Compara- 
tively recently  an  evening  service,  in  continuation 

*  In  1846  a  setting  of  the  Sanctus  and  Kyrie  in  A,  intended  by 
Boyce  to  form  part  of  his  full  morning  service  in  that  key,  was  dis- 
covered among  the  MSS.  in  the  Chapel  Royal.  A  note  appended 
to  the  copy  stated  that  these  movements  were  given  by  Boyce  to 
John  Stafford  Smith,  one  of  his  successors  as  organist  of  the 
Chapel  Royal.  Arnold  was  apparently  unaware  of  their  existence 
when  he  wrote  his  continuation.  They  were  printed  by  Vincent 
Novello  in  the  third  volume  of  his  complete  Boyce,  and  they  are 
also  to  be  found  in  the  edition  of  the  service  first  published  in 
octavo  size  in  i860. 


274     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

of  the  morning  one  in  C,  has  been  written  by 
Mr.  A.  H.  D.  Prendergast,  whose  work,  like  Arnold's, 
matches  that  of  Boyce  admirably. 

Outside  the  Church  Boyce  was  a  prolific  com- 
poser. He  set  Lord  Lansdowne's  masque,  Peleus 
and  Thetis,  and  it  was  performed  by  the  Philhar- 
monic Society  in  1734.  Two  years  later  his  ora- 
torio, David's  Lamentation  over  Saul  and  Jonathan, 
was  given  by  the  Apollo  Society,  and  in  1743  he 
wrote  his  serenata,  Solomon,  which  contains  a  very 
beautiful  air,  with  bassoon  obligato,  "  Softly  rise, 
O  southern  breeze,"  long  a  favourite.  Among  his 
instrumental  works  are  an  Overture  in  D  minor, 
composed  for  the  Worcester  Music  Meeting  of 
1737,  when  he  officiated  as  conductor  ;  and  twelve 
sonatas  for  two  violins  and  'cello,  or  harpsichord, 
concerning  which  Burney  observes  that  "  they  were 
larger  and  more  generally  purchased,  performed, 
and  admired,  than  any  productions  of  this  kind 
in  the  kingdom,  except  those  of  Corelli.  They 
were  not  only  in  constant  use,  as  chamber  music, 
in  private  concerts,  for  which  they  were  originally 
designed,  but  in  our  theatres  as  act-tunes,  and 
public  gardens  as  favourite  pieces,  during  many 
years."  From  the  last  of  these  sonatas  a  very 
charming  Gavotte,  for  two  violins  and  'cello,  has 
been  arranged  for  the  organ  by  Mr.  F.  Cunningham 
Woods,  and  published  in  Book  XI  of  Novello's 
Village  Organist. 

Boyce  also  produced  Lyra  Britannica,  a  collec- 
tion of  songs  and  cantatas  in  six  volumes ;  several 
masques  and  operettas  ;  and  incidental  music  for 
Shakespeare's  Tempest,  Cymbeline,  Winter's  Tale, 
and  Romeo  and  Juliet.     In  his  capacity  of  Master 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    275 

of  the  King's  Band  of  Musicians  he,  between  1755 
and  1779,  composed  annually  for  the  King's  Birth- 
day and  for  the  New  Year  a  number  of  Court  Odes. 
Of  these  compositions  a  large,  if  not  complete 
collection,  is  preserved  in  the  Bodleian  Library  at 
Oxford.* 

The  famous  patriotic  song,  "  Hearts  of  Oak," 
was  originally  composed  for  a  pantomime,  entitled 
"  Harlequin's  Invasion  [i.e.  his  invasion  of  Par- 
nassus and  the  territory  of  Shakespeare],  a  Christ- 
mas Gambol,"  written  by  Garrick,  and  first  per- 
formed at  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  31  December, 
1759.  It  was  originally  sung  by  Samuel  Champ- 
ness,  a  noted  bass  of  the  day. 

Boyce  suffered  all  his  life  from  deafness,  and  this 
increased  so  much  that  in  1758  he  retired  from 
Quality  Court,  Chancery  Lane,  where  he  had  re- 
sided since  1749,  t0  Kensington,  and  occupied  him- 
self with  editing  his  famous  Cathedral  Music, 
whose  history  has  been  detailed  in  the  previous 
chapter.  The  death  of  this  excellent  musician, 
and  blameless  and  amiable  man  took  place  on 
7  February,  1779,  the  gout,  to  which  complaint 
he  had  long  been  a  martyr,  hastening  his  end.  He 
was  buried  in  the  centre  aisle  of  the  eastern  portion 
of  the  crypt  of  S.  Paul's.  On  the  flat  stone  cover- 
ing his  remains  is  the  following  inscription  :   "  Wil- 

*  At  the  S.  Cecilia's  Day  Celebration,  held  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Musicians'  Company,  at  Stationers'  Hall,  on  25th  No- 
vember, 1907,  the  overture  to  one  of  Boyce's  Odes  for  S.  Cecilia's 
Day  was  played  by  a  band  of  strings.  The  extraordinary  fresh- 
ness of  the  music,  its  remarkable  vigour,  and  melodic  charm  gave 
immense  pleasure.  It  seems  strange  that  such  music  should  lie 
buried  in  the  Bodleian  Library,  the  parts  having  been  copied 
expressly  for  this  occasion  from  a  manuscript  in  that  collection. 


276     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

liam  Boyce,  Mus.D.,  Organist,  Composer  and 
Master  of  the  Band  of  Music  to  Their  Majesties 
George  II  and  III,  died  February  ye  7th,  1779, 
aged  69.  Happy  in  his  compositions,  much  happier 
in  a  constant  flow  of  harmony,  through  every  Scene 
of  Life,  Relative  or  Domestic ;  the  Husband, 
Father,  Friend." 

We    have    the    subjoined    account    of    Boyce's 
funeral  from  the  pen  of  an  eye-witness  : — 

His  interment,  which  was  in  S.  Paul's  Cathedral  on  the 
1 6th  day  of  February,  was  honoured  with  testimonies  of 
affection  and  respect,  not  only  suited  to  his  profession  and 
character,  but  such  in  a  degree  as  were  never  paid  to  the 
memory  of  any  musician  or  other  artist,  unless  perhaps  to 
that  of  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  the  architect  of  the  noble 
fabric  that  covers  the  remains  of  both.  The  procession 
began  from  Kensington,  and  the  corpse  was  carried  into 
the  cathedral  (attended  by  his  son,  a  youth  of  about 
sixteen  years  of  age,  and  several  other  mourners),  and 
entering  at  the  south  door,  proceeded  down  the  south  aisle 
to  the  west  door,  where,  being  received  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Wilson  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Douglas,  Canons  Resi- 
dentiary of  the  Church,  the  Minor  Canons,  Vicars  Choral 
and  choristers  thereof,  and  also  of  Westminster  Abbey, 
and  the  priests  in  ordinary,  gentlemen  and  children  of  the 
King's  Chapel,  and  many  other  gentlemen,  professors,  and 
lovers  of  music,  all  in  surplices,  it  was  conducted  up  the 
nave  of  the  church  into  the  choir,  the  attendants  walking 
two  and  two,  singing  the  first  part  of  the  Burial  Service, 
composed  by  Dr.  Croft  and  Purcell,  "  I  am  the  resurrec- 
tion and  the  life,"  without  the  organ.  When  arrived  at 
the  choir,  the  body  was  rested  upon  tressels,  and  the 
attendants  being  seated,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wight,  senior  Minor 
Canon  of  S.  Paul's,*  began  the  daily  service,  in  the  course 

*  Rev.  Moses  Wight,  m.a.,  Minor  Canon  of  S.  Paul's,  1746  ; 
Warden  of  the  College  of  Minor  Canons,  1753-5.  Died 
5  January,  1795. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    277 

of  which  the  39th  and  90th  Psalms  were  chanted  to 
solemn  music.  The  first  lesson  was  read  by  Mr.  Hayes* 
and  the  second  by  Mr.  Gibbons. f  Before  the  prayer  for 
the  King,  an  anthem,  composed  by  the  deceased,  beginning 
"If  we  believe  that  Jesus  died,"  was  sung  by  Mr.  Dyne 
and  Mr.  Soper,  and  the  chorus  by  them  and  the  other 
singers.  After  this,  the  reader  proceeded  to  the  end  of 
the  morning  service,  which,  being  concluded,  the  attendants 
rose  and  moved  to  the  area  under  the  dome  and  placed 
themselves  in  a  circle,  the  organ  all  the  while  playing  as 
a  kind  of  dead  march,  the  air  in  Elami  flat  in  the  fourth 
of  the  deceased's  Sonatas. \  During  this  short  procession 
and  arrangement,  the  bearers  were  removing  the  body  to 
the  crypt  or  vaults  under  the  pavement,  where  they 
deposited  it.  After  this,  the  service  at  the  grave,  be- 
ginning "  Man  that  is  born  of  a  woman,"  was  sung  to  the 
organ  :  Mr.  Wight  then  recited  the  prayer  on  committing 
the  body  to  the  ground,  while  a  person  with  a  shovel 
scattered  dust,  through  the  perforations  in  the  central 
plate,  on  the  coffin,  which  lay  immediately  under  it.  Then 
was  sung  to  the  organ  the  verse,  "  I  heard  a  voice  from 
Heaven,"  which  being  done,  the  reader  proceeded  to  the 
end  of  the  burial  service. 

"  The  whole  career  of  Dr.  Boyce  in  his  music, 
the  compositions  he  edited,  the  opinions  which  he 
advocated  in  his  modest  and  sensible  prefaces,  and 
in  his  unaffected  regard  for  all  that  was  excellent 
in  the  art,  forms  a  pleasant,  sunny  spot  in  our  English 
musical  history.  His  influence  upon  music,  if  it  be 
not  of  commanding  genius,  is  still  that  of  taste 

*  Rev.  William  Hayes,  b.a.,  Minor  Canon  of  S.  Paul's,  1  y66  ; 
Senior  Cardinal,  1783.     Died  22  October,  1790. 

f  Rev.  John  Gibbons,  m.a.,  Minor  Canon  of  S.  Paul's,  1759  ; 
Sacrist,  1767;  Senior  Cardinal,  1771.     Died  28  June,  1797. 

\  Published  in  No.  34  of  Vincent  Novello's  Short  Melodies 
(intended  principally  for  the  soft  stops  of  the  organ)  as  a  "  Solemn 
March  in  Et\"— J.  S.  B. 


278     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

and  science  judiciously  directed  ;  and,  in  a  quiet 
way,  he  left  a  permanent  effect  upon  his  art  as 
much  by  his  personal  character  as  by  his  talents."* 

Had  Boyce  written  nothing  but  the  thirty  pieces 
contained  in  the  two  volumes  of  his  own  Cathedral 
Music,  published  in  1780  and  1790,  they  would 
have  been  sufficient  to  immortalize  him.  In 
"  O  where  shall  wisdom  be  found  ?  "  which  may  be 
termed  Boyce's  representative  anthem,  it  may  be 
seen  how  thoroughly  he  understood  the  combina- 
tion of  sound  learning  with  truth  and  sublimity, 
and  deep,  though  simple,  piety  of  feeling. 

One  competent  to  judge  thus  sums  up  Boyce's 
work  as  a  Church  composer  :  "  His  style  is  massive, 
dignified,  and  impressive.  In  what  is  now  called 
8  picturesque  writing  '  he  was  probably  without  a 
rival.  His  anthems — '  Give  the  King  Thy  judg- 
ments," with  its  noble  concluding  chorus,  '  All 
Kings  shall  fall  down  before  Him  '  ;  '  Wherewithal 
shall  a  young  man  '  ;  and,  above  all,  '  O  where  shall 
wisdom  be  found  ' — are  as  good  as  anything  in  the 
whole  repertory  of  Cathedral  music.  .  .  .  Even  in 
the  present,  when  his  anthems  are  performed, 
their  simple  and  pious  eloquence  reaches  the  heart 
of  the  worshipper  and  stirs  it  to  a  depth  of  emotion 
that  is  never  attained  by  the  organ  solos  with  vocal 
accompaniment,  which  now,  to  a  great  extent, 
do  duty  for  services  and  anthems  in  the  Church."! 

Lastly  we  have  the  testimony  of  one  who  knew 
all  styles,  Dr.  Samuel  Sebastian  Wesley :  "  Dr. 
Boyce  has  really  left  a  very  considerable  amount 
of  composition  of  which,  in  my  humble  judgment, 

*   Edward  Holmes. 

f  W.  A.  Barrett,  English  Church  Composers. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    279 

any  author  might  be  proud.  In  the  boldness  of 
some  of  his  subjects  he  appears  to  have  rivalled 
the  best  specimens  of  Handel.  His  anthem,  '  Turn 
Thee  unto  me,'  with  its  beautiful  duet  for  trebles, 
will  delight  all  who  make  its  acquaintance." 

Dr.  Boyce  was  the  first  musician  of  importance 
who  encouraged  the  opening  genius  of  Samuel 
Wesley.  When  eight  years  of  age  little  Sam  was 
taken  to  the  veteran  organist  and  composer,  as  a 
precocious  artist,  on  whose  abilities  it  would  be 
desirable  to  have  an  experienced  opinion.  "  This 
child,"  said  he,  "  puts  a  bass  to  a  melody  as  cor- 
rectly by  his  feeling  as  I  can  do  by  my  science." 
Charles  Wesley,  Samuel's  elder  brother,  became  one 
of  Dr.  Boyce's  most  favourite  pupils.  When  about 
twenty  years  of  age  his  father,  the  Rev.  Charles 
Wesley,  wrote  of  him,  "  With  such  a  teacher  as 
Dr.  Boyce,  he  believes  he  has  the  greatest  master  of 
music  in  Christendom.  Dr.  Boyce  and  he  seemed 
equally  satisfied.  I  hope  he  has  caught  some  of  his 
master's  temper  and  skill :  a  more  modest  man 
than  Dr.  Boyce  I  have  never  known.  I  never 
heard  him  speak  a  vain  or  an  ill-natured  word, 
either  to  exalt  himself  or  depreciate  another." 
Master  Charles  was  presented  by  his  uncle,  John 
Wesley,  "  with  an  inestimable  present  of  Dr. 
Boyce's  three  volumes  of  Cathedral  Music." 

Boyce's  only  son,  William,  who,  as  we  have  read, 
attended  his  father's  funeral  in  S.  Paul's,  matricu- 
lated at  Oxford,  27  January,  1780,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  and  was  admitted  an  academical  clerk  of 
Magdalen  College.  Three  years  later  it  is  not 
pleasant  to  find  that  he  was  expelled  the  College 
for    insolent   behaviour.     "  A.D.    1783,    Dec.    if. 


28o     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Gulielmus  Boyce,  e  Clericis,  ob  morum  insolentiam, 
consensu  seniorum  a  Vice-Prcesidente  palant  fuit 
exfulsus  " — so  runs  the  entry  in  the  Register  of 
Magdalen  College.*  Subsequently  he  appears  to 
have  taken  a  good  place  as  a  double-bass  player  in 
the  London  orchestras. 

Three  typical  composers  of  Boyce's  era,  all  of 
them,  however,  inferior  to  him  in  genius,  may  be 
conveniently  grouped  together.  In  order  of  seni- 
ority they  stand  thus :  James  Kent,  William  Hayes, 
James  Nares. 

For  James  Kent  the  historians,  Burney  and 
Hawkins,  do  not  seem  to  have  many  words  to  spare 
of  praise  or  blame.  The  son  of  a  glazier,  he  was  born 
at  Winchester  on  13  March,  1700,  and  at  the  usual 
age  was  placed  in  the  Cathedral  choir  under  Vaughan 
Richardson.  He  was,  however,  soon  removed  to 
London  and  admitted  as  one  of  the  Children  of  the 
Chapel  Royal,  under  Dr.  Croft.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  his  master's  friendship  with  Dr.  John 
Dolben,  the  Sub-Dean  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  pro- 
cured for  him  the  organistship  of  Finedon,  North- 
amptonshire, the  seat  of  the  Dolben  family.  The 
handsome  Renaissance  case  of  the  organ  on  which 
Kent  played  in  Finedon  Church  is  still  preserved 
in  the  western  gallery,  as  well  as  the  organ-stool, 
with  the  initials  "  J.  K.,  171 7  "  carved  upon  it. 
The  anthem  composed  by  Dr.  Croft  for  the  opening 
of  this  organ,  on  17  May,  171 7,  has  already  been 
alluded  to. 

In  1729  Kent  was  an  unsuccessful  candidate  for 

*  Vol.  II,  112.  Edited  by  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Bloxam,  d.d., 
1857. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    281 

the  organistship  of  Winchester  Cathedral  and 
College,  but  he  had  his  solatium  two  years  later 
when  he  was  appointed  organist  of  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge,  in  succession  to  John  Eblyn.  Even- 
tually, on  the  death  of  John  Bishop,  in  1737,  he 
succeeded  in  securing  the  coveted  posts  at  Winches- 
ter, and  retained  them  both  until  his  resignation 
in  1774.  He  died  at  Winchester,  6  May,  1776, 
and  was  buried  in  the  north  transept  of  the  Cathe- 
dral. 

When  we  take  away  from  the  best  productions 
of  Kent  all  that  he  borrowed  from  others,  he  is  left 
to  subsist  on  a  very  slender  reputation.  He  not 
only  adopted  the  style  of  Croft,  but  even  pillaged 
his  ideas,  and  avowed  it,  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of 
course.  From  Bassani  and  other  Italian  composers 
he  borrowed  without  any  acknowledgment  what- 
ever, as  may  be  seen  by  a  small  volume,  lettered 
"  Mr.  Kent's  Notes,"  in  the  Library  at  S.  Michael's 
College,  Tenbury. 

Fifty  years  ago  the  anthems  and  services  of 
Kent,  one  of  the  feeblest  in  original  invention  of 
the  eighteenth-century  composers,  were  in  immense 
request  and  popularity  throughout  London  and 
the  country.  The  great  circulation  of  his  works 
proved  to  what  an  extent  facility  and  convenience 
were  able  to  command  success.  This  was  especially 
the  case  with  parochial  choirs.  The  number  of 
solos  in  which  singers  were  made  to  shine  at  small 
expense  of  preparation,  and  the  short  and  con- 
trasted movements  with  easy  modulation  and  flow 
of  the  parts  in  the  choruses,  were  the  main  causes 
of  the  popularity  of  Kent's  anthems. 

It  was  not  until  late  in  life  that  Kent  could  be 


282      ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

induced  to  publish.  In  1773  he  printed  a  volume 
containing  twelve  anthems.  Twenty  years  after 
his  death  another  volume,  containing  a  Morning 
and  Evening  Service  in  C  and  eight  anthems,  was 
edited  by  Joseph  Corfe,  organist  of  Salisbury 
Cathedral,  whose  son,  and  successor,  Arthur  Thomas, 
subsequently  brought  out  a  new  edition  of  the 
whole.  Vincent  Novello  issued  an  octavo  edition 
in  1852,  and  many  of  the  anthems  have  been  pub- 
lished by  other  editors. 

Prefixed  to  Joseph  Corfe's  edition  was  an  account 
of  Kent's  career  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Huntingford, 
Warden  of  Winchester  College.*  The  original 
manuscript  (in  the  present  writer's  possession)  is 
in  "  the  Warden's  own  peculiar  great  square  charac- 
ters, each  letter  standing  by  itself,"  as  Thomas 
Anthony  Trollope  (himself  a  Wykehamist)  describes 
Huntingford's  writing  in  his  book,  What  I  Re- 
member. 

Kent  as  an  organist,  says  Huntingford,  "was 
conscientiously  diligent,  not  only  in  punctual  atten- 
dance at  times  of  Choral  Prayers,  but  also  in  the 
more  laborious  and  indispensable  requisite  parts  of 
an  organist's  duty,  the  teaching  of  the  boys.  His 
manner  of  playing  was  neither  indecorously  rapid, 
nor  heavily  slow ;  but  such  as  became  the  sanctity  of 
the  Church  and  the  solemnity  of  the  Service.  He 
was  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  best  players  of  Dr. 
Croft's  music  in  the  kingdom." 

A  full  anthem  in  five  parts,  "  Hearken  unto  my 
voice,"  printed  in  Arnold's  Cathedral  Music,  and  a 

*  Dr.  Huntingford  was  made  Warden  of  Winchester  College 
in  1789  and  Bishop  of  Hereford  in  18 15.  He  held  both  offices 
until  his  death  in  1832. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    283 

Morning  and  Evening  Service  in  D,  included  in 
The  Choral  Service  of  the  Church,  a  volume  of 
chants,  services,  and  anthems,  compiled,  in  1849, 
by  J.  Bilson  Binfield,  organist  of  the  churches  of 
S.  Giles  and  S.  John,  Reading,  complete  the  list  of 
Kent's  ecclesiastical  compositions.  The  anthem 
given  by  Arnold  is  superior,  in  point  of  construc- 
tion, to  anything  else  of  Kent's.  Next  to  this 
Kent  is  perhaps  seen  at  his  best  in  the  anthem, 
"  Blessed  be  Thou,"  which  is  solid  and  ecclesiastical 
in  tone,  and  may  be  described  as  his  representative 
composition.  It  may  be  interesting  to  mention 
that  it  was  selected  as  one  of  the  four  anthems  to  be 
sung  at  the  Coronation  of  George  IV,  for  which 
occasion  it  was  orchestrated  by  Attwood.  It  was 
also  used  at  the  marriage  of  Queen  Victoria  in  the 
Chapel  Royal,  on  10  February,  1840.  It  still 
maintains  its  popularity  with  many  of  the  provincial 
cathedral  choirs,  and  was  once  a  favourite  piece 
in  the  repertoire  of  S.  Paul's,  but  since  6  September, 
1875,  it  has  not  been  heard  in  that  Cathedral. 

Among  the  most  commendable  of  Kent's  anthems 
are  "  In  the  Beginning  was  the  Word,"  "  Lord, 
how  are  they  increased,"  "  Why  do  the  heathen  ?  " 
and  "  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom  ?  "  the 
quartet,  "  Look  down  from  Heaven,"  in  the  last- 
named,  being  excellent.  In  "  Lord,  what  love 
have  I  ?  "  and  "  My  song  shall  be  of  mercy,"  the 
treble  solos  and  duets  are  pleasing  and  melodious, 
but,  like  all  Kent's  compositions  of  this  class, 
depend  much  upon  clear,  flexible  voices.  "  When 
the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  His  glory " 
(which,  with  the  exception  of  the  four  last  bars, 
is  entirely  for  men's  voices)   contains   some  really 


284     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

fine  and  most  effective  passages.  "  O  Lord  our 
Governour,"  another  of  Kent's  solo  anthems,  was 
at  one  time  so  great  a  favourite  with  aristocratic 
amateurs  that  frequently  half  a  guinea  would  be 
given  to  a  Chapel  Royal  boy  for  singing  it.  The 
choruses  are  the  weakest  parts  of  Kent's  anthems, 
being  usually  treated  as  a  mere  short  finale. 

Kent  had  not  a  tithe  of  the  genius  of  his  fellow 
chorister  in  the  Chapel  Royal,  Charles  Stroud, 
whose  fine  anthem,  "  Hear  my  prayer,"  inspired 
him  with  more  than  one  idea  when  setting  the  same 
words.  Perhaps  the  popularity  of  "  Blessed  be 
Thou  "  was  only  equalled  by  that  of  "  Hear  my 
prayer,"  which  was  made  to  do  duty  as  an  anthem 
at  more  than  one  of  the  Georgian  royal  funerals  at 
Windsor. 

From  the  "  Succinct  Account  "  of  Kent,  pre- 
fixed to  one  of  the  volumes  of  Arnold's  Cathedral 
Music,  we  learn  that  "  a  few  years  before  his  death 
he  presented  some  of  his  compositions  to  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge,  for  which  he  received  the 
thanks  of  that  body  from  the  master,  informing 
him  at  the  same  time  that  the  College  had  voted  him 
a  piece  of  plate,  value  ten  pounds,  and  desiring  to 
know  in  what  form  it  should  be  presented.  Mr. 
Kent  chose  a  tankard." 

Kent  is  known  to  have  written  but  little  secular 
music,  thus  following  the  example  of  his  master, 
Dr.  Croft.  The  writer  has,  in  his  library,  a  cantata 
in  Kent's  autograph,  beginning,  "  When  artful 
Damon  strikes  the  trembling  lyre."  It  has  accom- 
paniments for  a  stringed  orchestra. 

A  portrait  of  Kent  is  preserved  in  the  Hall  of 
Winchester    College.     He    was    succeeded    in    his 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    285 

post  there,  and  at  the  Cathedral,  by  his  pupil, 
Peter  Fussell,  who,  when  he  died  (in  July,  1802) 
was  buried  near  him  in  the  north  transept  of  the 
latter  place.  Fussell  is  represented  at  the  present 
day  by  a  single  chant  in  G.  He  wrote  two  Evening 
Services — one  in  A  major,  the  other  in  B  minor. 
The  first-named,  a  florid  setting  of  the  Cantate 
and  Deusy  was  long  popular.  He  added  the  orches- 
tral accompaniments  to  "  Dulce  Domum,"  printed 
in  the  Harmonia  Wykehamica  (181 1).  As  regards 
musicianship  he  was  decidedly  superior  to  Kent. 

William  Hayes  stands  next  in  our  trio  of  com- 
posers. He  was  born  at  Gloucester  in  1708,  and 
baptized  on  28  January  at  S.  Aldate's  Church  in 
that  city.  He  gave  early  marks  of  good  talent  for 
music  and  possessed  also  a  sweet  voice,  which  seems 
to  have  been  his  introduction  to  Mrs.  Viney,  a  most 
accomplished  lady  of  the  city  of  Gloucester,  and  a 
great  patroness  of  musical  people.  She  initiated 
him  in  performing  on  the  harpsichord,  and  taught 
him  the  first  tune  he  ever  played  on  that  instru- 
ment. Through  the  kind  offices  of  this  lady,  who 
seems  to  have  been  an  eighteenth-century  Miss 
Hackett,  Hayes  was  articled  to  William  Hine,  the 
then  organist  of  Gloucester  Cathedral,  and  he  soon 
"  became  excellent  in  playing  Church  music  and 
extempore  Voluntaries.  Few  men  knew  the  powers 
of  that  instrument  better  ;  and,  by  a  very  happy 
facility  of  expressing  the  genius  of  the  various  stops, 
was  often  attended  to  by  the  admirers  of  that 
species  of  playing  with  heartfelt  satisfaction."*     In 

*  This  and  the  two  succeeding  quotations  are  from  the  Memoir 
u 


286      ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

1729  he  became  organist  of  S.  Mary's,  Shrewsbury, 
onjihe  erection  of  an  instrument  in  that  church  by 
Harris  and  Byfield.  Four  years  later  he  succeeded 
John  Hoddinott  as  organist  of  Worcester  Cathedral. 
"  But  his  genius  was  not  designed  for  so  narrow  a 
sphere.  Oxford  was  the  place  of  all  others  he 
wished  to  settle  in  for  the  remainder  of  his  life." 
His  wish  was  gratified  in  1734,  when  the  organist- 
ship  of  Magdalen  College  fell  vacant  by  the  death 
of  Thomas  Hecht,  who  had  held  the  post  for  nearly 
forty  years.  From  his  college  he  proceeded  fro 
forma  to  a  Bachelor's  degree  in  Music  in  1735,  and 
on  14  January,  1741,  succeeded  Richard  Goodson 
the  younger  as  Heather  Professor  of  Music  in  the 
University.  Upon  the  opening  of  the  Radcliffe 
Library  in  1749  ^e  was  honoured  by  the  University 
with  the  Doctorate  "  amid  the  general  plaudits  of 
a  brilliant  assemblage  of  Nobility,  Gentry,  and  Aca- 
demics in  full  convocation  in  the  Theatre,  to  which 
he  was  presented  by  Dr.  Bradley,  the  Savilian 
Professor  of  Astronomy,  one  of  the  greatest  men 
of  his  time  ;  who,  in  an  elegant  Latin  Speech,  re- 
presented him  not  only  as  a  man  eminent  in  his 
faculty,  but  as  one  whose  sweetness  of  temper  vied 
with  that  of  his  art." 

As  Professor,  Hayes  is  known  to  have  delivered 
but  few,  if  any,  musical  lectures.  He  was,  however, 
studious  and  active  in  other  ways.  He  was  a  great 
collector  of  ancient  and  curious  music,  and  was 
possessed  of  a  certain  amount  of  genius  and  ability 
for  producing  new.  He  published,  in  1 735,  Twelve 
Arietts  or  Ballads  and  two  Cantatas.    His  setting  of 

of  Dr.  W.  Hayes,  prefixed  to  the  volume  of  Cathedral  Music 
edited  by  his  son  Philip,  in  1795. 


THE   LATER  GEORGIAN   PERIOD    287 

Collins'  Ode  on  the  Passions  was  performed  at  the 
Gloucester  Music  Meeting  in  1760,  and  published 
in  full  score.  In  1742  he  published  and  sold  at  his 
house  near  Hertford  College,*  Vocal  and  Instru- 
mental Music  in  Three  Parts :  (1)  Circe,  a  Masque  ; 
(2)  A  Sonata  or  Trio,  and  Songs  of  different  kinds,  viz., 
Ballads,  Airs,  and  Cantatas  ;  (3)  An  Ode,  being  fart 
of  an  Exercise  -performed  for  a  Bachelor's  Degree  in 
Music.  These  were  all  printed  in  full  score.  His 
ecclesiastical  compositions  for  Magdalen  and  other 
Oxford  Colleges,  with  choral  services,  were  very 
numerous.  These  were  edited  after  his  death  in  one 
volume,  folio,  by  his  son  Philip,  and  comprised  a 
setting  of  the  Te  Deum  and  Benedictus  in  D,t 
another  of  the  Sanctus,  Kyrie,  Credo,  Cantate,  and 
Deus  in  E%  in  continuation  of  the  Te  Deum  and 
Jubilate  of  Hall  and  Hine,  together  with  twenty-one 
anthems  and  instrumental  accompaniments  to  the 
Old  Hundredth  Psalm,  "  as  performed  in  London, 
before  the  Sons  of  the  Clergy  at  S.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
and  at  S.  Mary's,  Oxford,  before  the  Governors  of 
the  Radcliffe  Infirmary." 

The  anthems  of  William  Hayes,  written  mostly  at 
the  outset  of  his  career,  have  long  been  popular  with 
choirs,  both  cathedral  and  parochial.  It  cannot  be 
averred  that  they  possess  any  great  distinctive 
character  or  originality,  but  they  are  melodious  and 
thoroughly  well  written  for  the  voices,  and  many 
of  the  treble  solos  and  duets  are  expressive.  A  selec- 
tion of  the  best  was  edited  by  Vincent  Novello  in 

*  This  house,  situated  at  the  junction  of  New  College  Lane 
with  Catherine  Street,  was  demolished  in  1901. 

f  The  Te  T)eum  only  is  by  William  Hayes.  The  Benedictus 
was  added  by  his  son  at  the  time  of  publication. 


288      ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

1848.  This  includes  "  Bow  down  Thine  ear," 
"  Great  is  the  Lord,"  "  Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our 
refuge,"  "  O  be  joyful  in  God,"  "  O  worship  the 
Lord,"  "Praise  the  Lord,  O  Jerusalem,"  "  The 
Lord  preserveth,"  and  "  The  Lord  is  good." 
Another,  "  Save,  Lord,  and  hear  us,"  was  subse- 
quently edited  by  Sir  John  Stainer.  One  yet  ob- 
tainable only  in  the  original  score,  "  Bring  unto  the 
Lord,  O  ye  mighty,"  is  deserving  of  republication. 
It  contains  a  good  tenor  and  bass  duet,  and  in  the 
concluding  chorus  there  is  an  instance  of  the  use 
of  the  chord  of  the  extreme  sharp  sixth,  which, 
though  employed  by  Humphreys  and  Purcell, 
seems,  until  Hayes'  time,  to  have  been  but  sparingly 
introduced  into  Cathedral  music. 

The  Kyrie,  Credo,  Sanctus,  Cantate,  and  Deus 
from  the  E^  Service  were  republished,  with  organ 
accompaniment,  in  a  collection  of  services  made  by 
Dr.  Marshall,  organist  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford, 
between  1841  and  1849.  Other  editions  of  the 
Evening  Service  were  those  by  John  Goss  and  James 
Turle  in  their  collection,  Services,  Ancient  and 
Modern,  1847,  and  by  Vincent  Novello  in  his 
Cathedral  Choir  Book,  1848.  William  Hayes  pub- 
lished Sixteen  Metrical  Psalms,  selected  from  Mer- 
ricFs  Version.  These  are  set  for  four  voices,  with 
interludes  for  the  organ.  Several  are  extremely 
pleasing,  especially  "  Lo  !  from  the  hills  my  help 
descends,"  "  The  festal  morn,  my  God,  is  come," 
and  "  Lift  your  voice,  and  thankful  sing."  Some 
of  these  Psalms  have  been  rearranged  and  included 
in  modern  hymnals.  A  very  inferior  edition  was 
brought  out  in  1 820  by  William  Cross,  organist  (1 807- 
25)  of  Christ  Church  and  S.  John's  College,  Oxford. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    289 

Some  thirty  years  later  a  new  edition  was  prepared 
for  Cocks  and  Co.,  the  music  publishers,  by  Edward 
Clare,  wherein  Cross's  blunders  in  the  harmony 
were  corrected.  The  Rev.  W.  H.  Havergal  once 
justly  observed  that  Cross  was  a  good  organist,  but 
no  musician.  These  Psalms  were  originally  written 
by  Hayes  for  Magdalen  College  Chapel,  and  it  is 
pleasant  to  observe  that  some  of  them  are  still  in 
use  there. 

In  1 75 1  Hayes  published  a  small  book,  The  Art 
of  Composing  Music  by  a  Method  Entirely  New,  and 
in  1757  and  1765  two  volumes  of  his  Glees,  Catches, 
and  Canons.  In  1762  he  printed  an  answer  to 
A  Treatise  on  Musical  Expression,  by  Charles 
Avison,  of  Newcastle,  in  which  Geminiani  (Avison's 
master)  was  put  forward  as  the  great  model  of  com- 
position, Handel  being  only  once  mentioned. 

The  second  of  the  four  chime-tunes  played  by 
the  bells  of  Gloucester  Cathedral  was  the  com- 
position of  William  Hayes.  The  others  were  by 
Stephen  JerTeries  (organist  of  Gloucester,  1682- 
1710),  Dr.  John  Stephens  (organist  of  Salisbury, 
1746-80),  and  William  Malchair,  of  Oxford.  [All 
four  were  published  as  an  arrangement  for  the 
pianoforte  by  Alfred  Whitehead,  organist  of  the 
Holy  Innocents',  Highnam,  near  Gloucester — the 
beautiful  church  built  in  1849,  by  Henry  Woodyer, 
for  the  late  Mr.  T.  Gambier  Parry.  New  arrange- 
ments of  the  tunes  have  been  issued  by  Mr.  C.  Lee 
Williams,  organist  of  ^Gloucester  Cathedral  (1882- 
97),  and  by  his  successor,  Dr.  A.  H.  Brewer.  Mr. 
Lee  Williams'  edition  contains  a  very  interesting 
descriptive  preface.  Dr.  Cleveland  Coxe,  in  his 
Impressions   of   England   in    1851 — a   book    already 


290      ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

quoted — says  how,  on  his  visit  to  the  Rev.  Sir  John 
Seymour,  Canon  of  Gloucester,  he  was  "  awakened 
at  a  late  hour  of  the  night  by  the  chimes  of  the 
Cathedral  clock  charming  the  darkness  with  a 
solemn  tune,  and  lifting  the  thoughts  of  the  listener 
to  communion  with  his  God." 

William  Hayes  died  at  Oxford  on  27  July,  1777, 
and  was  buried  near  Hearne,  the  antiquary,  in  the 
churchyard  of  S.  Peter-in-the-East.  His  portrait, 
painted  by  John  Cornish,  and  also  a  bust,  made  at 
the  particular  request  of  Edward,  Lord  Leigh,  High 
Steward  of  the  University  (1767-86),  were  pre- 
sented to  the  Music  School  by  his  son  Philip.  A 
small  copy  of  the  former  is  in  the  Choral  School  at 
Magdalen  College.  The  original  was  engraved  by 
Thomas  Park,  and  published  in  1787. 

William  Hayes'  second  son,  Philip,  who  succeeded 
his  father  as  Professor  of  Music,  was  somewhat  in- 
ferior to  him  as  a  composer.  He  was  not  only  an 
organist,  but  a  monopolist  of  organs,  being  at  once 
organist  of  New,  Magdalen,  and  S.  John's  Colleges, 
besides  S.  Mary's  Church,  as  University  Organist. 
In  point  of  size  and  weight  he  was  the  greatest 
musician  of  his  day,  and,  in  good  humour  and  bulk, 
was  a  complete  representative  of  Shakespeare's  fat 
knight,  Sir  John  FalstafL  Indeed,  he  was  supposed 
to  be  the  largest  man  in  England,  and  nearly  equal 
in  weight  to  the  celebrated  Bright,  the  miller  of 
Maiden,  Essex.  "  I  remember,"  says  George  Valen- 
tine  Cox,*   in  his   Recollections  of   Oxford  (1868), 

*  George  Valentine  Cox  was  admitted  a  chorister  of  Magdalen 
College,  Oxford,  19  December,  1793.  From  1803  until  1813  he 
was  a  lay  clerk  of  the  same.  In  1806  he  was  appointed  Master 
of  the  Chorister's  School  of  New  College,  a  post  he  retained  until 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    291 

"  being  taken  to  his  house  in  my  very  early  days  to 
have  my  voice  tried  ;  he  had  been,  for  many  years, 
remarkable  for  his  state  of  obesity,  and  I  have  not 
forgotten  the  awe  I  felt  at  the  huge  projection  over 
the  keys  of  his  harpsichord,  contrasted  with  his 
delicate,  small  hands,  and  accompanied  with  a  soft 
velvety  voice." 

The  Professor  also  held  the  (apparently)  incom- 
patible appointment  of  Gentleman  of  the  Chapel 
Royal,  S.  James's,  where  he  had  originally  sung  as 
a  chorister  under  Bernard  Gates.  In  fulfilment  of 
this  duty,  when  he  occasionally  went  up  to  London, 
he  had  two  places  taken  for  him  in  the  stage  coach, 
from  which,  after  he  was  got  in  (a  work  of  some 
difficulty)  he  was  not  removed  until  he  arrived  at 
his  journey's  end.  His  headquarters  in  town  were 
at  the  house  of  Dr.  Dupuis,  organist  and  composer 
to  the  Chapel  Royal,  in  King's  Row,  Park  Lane. 
''<  Occasionally  Dr.  Philip  made  his  journey  to 
London  in  a  postchaise.  At  that  time  it  was  com- 
mon to  see  upon  the  chimney-piece  of  the  public 
room  of  an  inn  an  announcement  of  the  want  of  a 
companion  in  such  a  conveyance.  The  Doctor 
(whose  unwieldy  person  rendered  his  travelling  in 
one  of  the  "  six  insides  "  of  the  time  a  matter  of 
considerable  inconvenience)  on  one  occasion  ac- 
cepted the  first  companionship  that  offered  at  the 
"  Star  "  ;  and  to  avoid  the  toil  of  a  walk  from  his 
house  in  Holywell  it  was  arranged  that  he  should 
be  taken  up  there.  On  the  morning  appointed,  the 
inquirer  for  a  companion  jumped  into  the  chaise — 

his  resignation  in  1857.  He  was  also  a  lay  chaplain  of  New, 
Coroner  in  the  University,  and,  for  sixty  years,  Esquire  Bedel. 
His  book  is  a  most  entertaining  one. 


292      ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

luggage  all  right — and,  dashing  up  to  the  Doctor's 
door,  he  saw  a  figure  little  less  than  the  great  Daniel 
Lambert,  supported  by  a  servant  on  either  side, 
slowly  advancing  from  the  wall.  In  amazement,  he 
hastily  lowered  the  front  glass,  roaring  out,  "  Post- 
boy— hoy !  is  that  the  gentleman  we  are  to  take 
up  ?  "     "  'Ees,  sir,   that  be  Doctor  Phil  Hayes." 

"  Fill  chaise,  by ,"  replied  the  traveller  ;    "  he 

shan't  come  in  here  ;  drive  on,  drive  on,"  thus 
leaving  the  poor  Doctor  to  get  on  his  journey  as 
well  as  he  could.  Hence  the  sobriquet  with  which 
he  is  invariably  associated,  "  Phil  Chaise."  There 
was,  indeed,  no  end  to  the  stories  of  him  and  his 
good -nature  withal  under  his  heavy  affliction. 
Another  may  be  recorded.  On  the  occasion  of  a 
visit  paid  to  Oxford  by  George  III,  the  Professor, 
after  playing  the  organ  at  Magdalen  Chapel,  was 
hurrying  (as  well  as  he  could  hurry),  full-dressed,  in 
his  cocked  hat*  and  gorgeous  silk  gown,  up  Queen's 
Lane  to  pay  the  same  compliment  to  the  Royal 
party  at  New  College.  Panting  for  breath  from 
heat,  over-exertion,  and  excitement,  he  called  out 
to  a  country  fellow,  whom  he  saw  approaching, 
"  Friend,  pray  lend  me  your  arm  a  little  way." 
"  Yes,  your  Majesty"  replied  the  simple  rustic,  who 
had  heard  that  the  King  was  in  Oxford,  and  fancied 
this  great  man  must  be  he. 

The  Commemoration  week  at  Oxford,  early  in 
July,  1793,  was  marked  by  the  Installation  of  the 
new  Chancellor,  the  Duke  of  Portland.  On  the 
first  of  three  successive  days  for  reciting  prize  com- 

*  The  three-cornered  hat  was,  at  that  time,  a  part  of  the  full 
dress  of  lay  academics  of  some  standing. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    293 

positions  and  complimentary  verses  the  crowd  in 
the  area  and  galleries  of  the  Sheldonian  Theatre 
was  so  great,  and  the  heat  so  oppressive,  that  the 
Chancellor,  observing  the  increasing  distress  and 
confusion  from  persons  fainting,  etc.,  relieved  the 
almost  dissolved  company  by  formally  dissolving  the 
Convocation.  In  doing  this  on  the  impulse  of  the 
moment  he  probably  forgot  the  compliment  in- 
tended for  him  by  the  performance  of  an  Ode, 
written  for  the  occasion  by  the  Professor  of  Poetry, 
Mr.  Holmes,  of  New  College,  and  set  to  music  by 
Dr.  Phil  Hayes.  It  might,  indeed,  have  been  done 
by  way  of  retaliation  to  Dr.  Hayes,  who  had  added 
to  the  distressing  heat  by  nailing  down  all  the 
windows  for  the  sake  of  musical  effect !  The  effect, 
however,  was  anything  but  musical  to  his  ears,  for 
the  undergraduates  in  the  galleries  most  unscrupu- 
lously demolished,  with  their  caps,  every  pane  of 
glass  within  their  reach.  They  disregarded — per- 
haps they  were  amused  by — the  piteous  remon- 
strances of  the  fat  Professor,  who  from  the  organ 
gallery  exclaimed  (in  Recitativo,  molto  agitato)  : 
"  For  God's  sake,  gentlemen,  for  mercy's  sake,  for 
music's  sake,  for  my  sake,  don't  ruin  me  !  "  * 

A  writer  in  Rees'  Cyclopaedia  thus  sums  up  the 
character  and  talents  of  Dr.  Philip  Hayes  : — 

With  a  very  limited  genius  for  composition,  and  un- 
limited vanity,  envy  and  spleen,  he  was  always  on  the 
fret,  and  by  his  situation  had  a  power,  which  he  never 
spared,  to  render  all  other  musicians  uncomfortable.  No 
one  entered  the  University,  occasionally  or  from  curi- 
osity, that  did   not  alarm  him.     His  extreme  corpulency 

*  Cox,  Recollections  of  Oxford, 


294     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

will  be  longer  remembered  than  his  abilities,  of  which  he 
has  left  no  example  that  we  can  recollect  worthy  to  be 
recorded. 

Hayes'  pupil,  John  Clarke  (afterwards  known  as 
Clarke  Whitfeld),  was  by  no  means  of  the  above 
opinion,  and  in  the  preface  to  the  second  volume  of 
his  Cathedral  Music,  published  while  organist  of 
Trinity  and  S.  John's  Colleges,  Cambridge,  in  1805, 
defends  his  master  as 

a  man  whose  amiable  manners  endeared  him  to  a 
numerous  circle  of  sincerely  attached  friends,  and  whose 
sound  knowledge  in  the  Art  of  Music  and  skill  displayed 
on  the  organ,  must,  notwithstanding  the  insinuations  of 
men  of  little  eminence,  have  established  his  character  as  an 
excellent  musician,  and  as  one  of  the  very  best  extemporary 
Performers  of  the  age.  While  his  kind  attention,  at  all 
times  shown,  to  the  applications  of  deserving  Professional 
Men  for  his  patronage,  will  distinguish  him  to  posterity  as 
a  man  of  truest  benevolence.  .  .  .  He  had  the  dis- 
tinguished honour  of  instructing  that  paragon  of  vocal 
excellence,  Madame  Mara  (when  she  came  to  Oxford  at  a 
very  early  period  of  her  life)  in  the  first  English  song  she 
ever  sang,  "  Sweet  rose  and  lily."  Dr.  Beckwith  of 
Norwich,  one  of  the  most  scientific  fuguists  of  the  present 
day ;  Mr.  Dod  Perkins,  organist  of  the  Cathedral  at 
Wells,  and  many  of  the  present  Minor  Canons  of  S.  Paul's, 
may  claim  the  honour  of  having  been  his  pupils  at  Oxford. 

The  following  account  of  Philip  Hayes,  written 
by  his  nephew,  the  Rev.  William  Hayes,  vicar  of 
Monk-Hesleton,  Durham,  was  inserted  by  the  Rev. 
J.  R.  Bloxam,  d.d.,  Fellow  and  Librarian  of  Mag- 
dalen College,  Oxford,  in  the  second  volume  of  his 
Magdalen  College  Register,  1857  : — 

Dr.   Philip  Hayes  was   organist   of  New  College  (his 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN   PERIOD    295 

favourite  College),  also  of  S.  John's  College,  and  S.  M. 
Magdalen  College  ;  was  elected  organist  of  Christ  Church, 
and  ousted  by  a  man  named  Norris.*  Often  went  to 
London  and  purchased  pictures,  and  presented  them  to  the 
College.  Very  fond  of  works  of  vertu:  a  lazy  dog, 
fond  of  good  living,  in  fact,  a  gourmand  :  fine  temper, 
good  looking,  handsome  man.  Could  have  married  well 
in  his  younger  days,  when  his  person  was  slender  :  during 
the  latter  part  of  his  life  very  stout,  weighing  20  stone. 
When  at  low  water,  took  "William  his  "  Caleb  Quotem," 
with  him  (one  of  the  first  cooks  of  the  day)  and  drove  in 
his  carriage  to  Town.  Composed  music,  of  which  he  dis- 
posed ;  and  returned  home  full  of  money. 

Dr.  Philip  Hayes  published  little  of  his  Church 
music  beyond  a  set  of  Eight  Anthems,  An  Anthem 
for  a  Country  Church  (both  printed  by  Henry  Hardy, 
of  Oxford),  and,  in  imitation  of  his  father,  Sixteen 
Psalms,  selected  from  Merrick's  Version,  and  used  at 
S.  Mary's  Church,  c5V.  "  A  lazy  dog "  he  cer- 
tainly was  not,  if  we  may  judge  him,  not  only  by 
the  large  amount  of  original  services  and  anthems, 
but  also  by  the  numerous  transcriptions  in  score, 
mainly  by  later  seventeenth-century  Church  writers, 

•  This  was  Thomas  Norris,  Mus.B.  He  was  born  at  Mere, 
Wilts,  1 74 1,  and  became  a  chorister  in  Salisbury  Cathedral.  He 
was  organist  of  S.  John's  College,  Oxford,  1765  ;  lay  clerk  of 
Christ  Church,  1767  ;  lay  clerk  of  Magdalen  College,  1 77 1  ;  and 
organist  of  Christ  Church,  1776,  in  succession  to  Richard  Church. 
He  possessed  a  fine  tenor  voice,  and  was  in  request  at  all  the  London 
concerts  and  provincial  music-meetings.  He  died  at  Himley  Hall, 
the  seat  of  Lord  Dudley  and  Ward,  3  September,  1790,  it  is  said, 
through  over-exertion  at  the  Birmingham  Festival.  His  Church 
compositions  include  the  familiar  double  chant  in  A,  and  a  live-part 
anthem,  "Hear  my  prayer."  A  portrait  of  Norris,  painted  by 
John^Taylor  and  engraved  by  the  same,  was  published  in  March, 
1777- 


296     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

which  he  left  behind  him.  The  latter,  apparently- 
intended  for  publication,  would  now,  but  for  his 
industry  and  assiduity,  probably  be  lost. 

The  present  writer  possesses  the  autograph  scores 
of  a  large  number  of  Dr.  Philip  Hayes'  published 
and  unpublished  Church  compositions.  These  com- 
prise a  Morning,  Ante-Communion,  and  Evening 
(Cantate)  Service  in  F  (composed  1769-70) ;  a  com- 
plete Burial  Service  in  E^  (composed  24  March,  1772); 
and  some  forty  full  and  verse  anthems,  including  the 
famous  setting  of  the  ninth  and  tenth  verses  of 
Sternhold  and  Hopkins'  metrical  version  of  Psalm 
xviii.,  beginning  "  The  Lord  descended  from 
above."  This  may  be  described  as  really  the  only 
anthemic  composition  of  Dr.  Phil  Hayes  that  has 
descended  to  posterity. 

One  of  the  anthems  in  the  Hayes  autograph  col- 
lection bears  the  title  of  "  Begin  unto  my  God 
with  timbrels."  It  was  sung  at  the  reopening  of 
New  College  Chapel,  after  "  improvements  "  by 
the  architect  James  Wyatt,  on  Trinity  Sunday,  1794. 
A  colophon  attached  sets  forth  that  "  the  organ 
was  privately  opened  on  the  Monday  before,  with 
only  the  choir  organ  (all  that  was  finish'd),  after 
several  years'  cessation  on  account  of  the  elegant 
alterations  in  the  Chapel,  organ,  and  gallery." 
Hayes  further  tells  us  that  his  anthem  was  com- 
posed originally  in  1779,  and  sung  at  New  College 
Chapel  on  the  Trinity  Sunday  of  that  year.  It  was  re- 
peated on  the  same  day  in  1780,  1783,  1785,  and  1786. 
In  1787,  it  appears,  no  anthem  was  sung,  "  on  account 
of  the  Abbey  Musick  [i.e.  the  fourth  Commemora- 
tion of  Handel],  at  which  most  of  the  choir  were 
engaged,  as  well  as  six  of  Dr.  Hayes's  boys,  whom 


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"The  Lord  descended  from  above." 

Composed  June  10,  1769. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    297 

he  took  up."  All  these  autographs  are  signed  and 
dated,  and  some  of  the  notes  appended  thereto  are 
interesting.  A  short  full  anthem,  with  duet  for 
trebles,  "  Righteous  art  Thou,  O  Lord  "  (composed 
19  May,  1778),  was  printed  by  Dr.  Rimbault  in 
The  Choir,  No.  72. 

In  a  collection  of  chants  published  in  1808  by 
Dr.  John  C.  Beckwith,  organist  of  Norwich  Cathe- 
dral, there  is  one  in  triple  measure  for  the  Bene- 
dicite,  given  anonymously,  but  acknowledged  as  the 
composition  of  Dr.  P.  Hayes.  It  was  reprinted  in 
the  thirty-ninth  number  of  The  Parish  Choir,  and 
has  in  more  recent  years  been  incorporated  into  a 
setting  of  the  above  canticle  by  James  Turle  and 
Sir  Frederick  Bridge.  Both  Philip  and  William 
Hayes  wrote  chants  which  are  still  sung.  A  single 
chant  in  C  major  by  the  former  was  at  one  time, 
like  Bishop's  Service  in  D,  always  used  on  the 
Founder's  Commemoration  Days  at  New  College, 
Oxford. 

Mention  should  not  be  omitted  of  the  set  of  Six 
Concertos  for  organ,  harpsichord,  and  piano,  pub- 
lished by  Dr.  P.  Hayes  about  1765,  or  of  the  very 
charming  Minuet  in  E^  (the  Lady  Elizabeth 
Spencer's)  which  he  wrote  for  performance  in  the 
masque,  "  The  Maid  of  the  Oaks,"  at  Blenheim. 
The  autograph,  "  Most  humbly  inscribed  to  her 
Grace,  the  Duchess  of  Marlborough,"  is  dated  12 
January,  1788.  The  minuet  has  been  arranged  for 
the  organ,  and  published  in  Book  I  of  The  Village 
Organist  (Novello). 

Besides  composing  an  oratorio,  The  Prophecy,  per- 
formed in  the  Sheldonian  Theatre  at  the  Com- 
memoration of  1 78 1,  and  setting  John  Oldham's 


298      ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Ode  for  S.  Cecilia's  Day,*  Dr.  Hayes  edited  the 
Cathedral  Music  of  his  father,  and  "  collated,  re- 
vised, and  corrected  "  the  Harmonia  Wykehamica, 
afterwards  republished,  with  omissions  and  addi- 
tions, by  his  pupil,  Gilbert  Heathcote.  In  1789  he 
published,  from  the  original  MS.  in  the  possession 
of  Bernard  Gates,  Memoirs  of  Prince  William  Henry, 
Duke  of  Gloucester,  from  his  Birth,  July  24,  1689,  to 
October,  i6qj  ;  from  an  original  Tract  written  by 
Jenkin  Lewis,  some  time  servant  to  Her  Highness  the 
Princess  Anne  of  Denmark,  afterwards  Queen  of 
England :  and  continued  to  the  time  of  the  Duke's 
death,  July  29,  1700. 

Hayes  appears  to  have  effected  certain  improve- 
ments in  the  Music  School  at  Oxford,  and  presented 
to  it  the  following  portraits  :  Orlando  Gibbons, 
William  Boyce,  John  Christopher  Pepusch,  Charles 
Frederick  Abel,  William  Lawes,  James  Heseltine, 
J.  Philip  Eiffert,  J.  P.  Salaman,  Orlando  di  Lasso, 
William  Hine,  John  Weldon,  Arcangelo  Corelli, 
William  Hayes,  and  William  Parsons ;  together 
with  busts  of  King  Alfred,  Henry  Purcell,  and 
William  Hayes.  A  portrait  of  Dr.  Philip  Hayes 
himself,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  painted  by  John 
Cooper  in  1758,  was  presented  to  the  Music  School 
in  1855  by  Mrs.  Hughes,  of  Bromley  College,  Kent, 
daughter  of  Walter  Vicary,  Mus.B.,  who  was  Hayes' 
successor  as  organist  of  Magdalen  and  the  Univer- 
sity Church.  Two  other  portraits,  both  painted 
during  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  are  extant.  In  one 
he  is  represented  at  half  length,  with  an  organ  in 
the  background  :  the  other,  a  copy  of  which  hangs 

*  "  Begin  the  song."     Originally  set  by  Dr.  Blow  in  1684. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    299 

in  the  Hall  of^S.  Michael's  College,  Tenbury,  depicts 
him  seated  injiis  robes,  at  full  length. 

On  8  July,  1784,  Dr.  Hayes  presided  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  new  organ  built  for  Canterbury  Cathedral 
by  Samuel  Green.  A  sermon  on  "  The  Antiquity, 
Use,  and  Excellence  of  Church  Music  "  was  preached 
on  the  occasion  by  Dr.  George  Home,  Dean  of  Can- 
terbury, and  President  of  Magdalen  College,  Oxford, 
from  the  text,  "  Awake  up,  my  glory  ;  awake,  lute 
and  harp  !  "  It  was  subsequently  printed  at  Ox- 
ford. An  anthem,  "  O  praise  God  in  His  holiness," 
was  expressly  composed  by  John  Marsh,  the  dis- 
tinguished amateur  musician,  then  resident  in 
the  Precincts,  Canterbury.  It  contained  passages 
"  calculated  to  display  the  various  stops  of  the  new 
instrument."  * 

It  was  generally  expected  that  Dr.  Philip  Hayes 
would  die  in  Oxford,  and  that  when  that  event 
occurred  he  would  be  buried  in  the  churchyard  of 
S.  Peter's-in-the-East,  where  there  is  a  large  altar- 
tomb  over  the  body  of  his  father.  This  event,  how- 
ever, happened  during  one  of  his  visits  to  London, 

*  Previously  to  1784  the  organ  at  Canterbury  stood  above  the 
northern  range  of  stalls,  and  within  the  first  bay  to  the  west.  It  had 
a  very  fine  case  of  Renaissance  workmanship,  which  was  not  utilized 
for  the  new  organ,  one  of  sham  Gothic  being  substituted.  Green's 
organ  was  placed  upon  the  choir-screen,  remaining  thereuntil  1827, 
when  it  was  again  rebuilt  and,  as  Professor  Willis  tells  us,  "in- 
geniously deposited  out  of  sight  in  the  triforium  of  the  south  aisle 
of  the  choir  ;  a  low  pedestal,  with  its  keys,  standing  at  the  back  of 
the  lay  clerks'  desks  on  the  Decani  side,  being  contrived  so  as  to 
bring  the  organist  close  to  the  singers  as  he  ought  to  be."  Samuel 
Porter  was  the  organist  of  Canterbury  in  1784,  and  Highmore 
Skeats,  senior,  in  1827.  With  the  exception  of  the  console,  the 
Canterbury  organ  still  remains  invisible.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
know  what  became  of  the  Renaissance  case. 


300     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

whither  he  had  gone  to  preside  at  the  Festival  of 
the  New  Musical  Fund.  He  had  dressed  himself 
in  the  morning  of  19  March,  1797,  to  attend  the 
Chapel  Royal,  "  but  suddenly  showed  symptoms  of 
approaching  dissolution,  and  expired  in  a  short  time 
afterwards."  *  His  remains  were  interred  in  S.  Gre- 
gory's vault  in  the  crypt  of  S.  Paul's  Cathedral  on 
the  2 1  st,  with  a  choral  service  by  the  combined 
choirs  of  S.  Paul's,  Westminster  Abbey,  and  the 
Chapel  Royal,  Dr.  Arnold  and  others  attending  as 
mourners. 

The  burial  follows,  where  the  body  falls ; 
They  rob  S.  Peter's,  but  enrich  S.  Paul's — 

so  ran  the  rhyme  by  some  Oxford  wag  of  the  day. 

The  successor  of  Dr.  Philip  Hayes  in  the  Pro- 
fessorship of  Music  was  Dr.  Crotch,  who  was  as 
small  and  short  in  person  as  his  predecessor  was  tall 
and  large.  This  contrast  produced  the  following 
jeu  d' esprit : — 

Trying  it  on. 

At  length,  when  the  big  Doctor  died 
(Weigh'd  down  by  his  fame  and  his  fat), 

His  light-weighing  successor  tried 
To  succeed  to  his  gown  and  his  hat. 

But  the  three-corner'd  hat  would  not  do ; 

And  the  gown  (if  report  you'll  believe) 
Was  too  large,  even  cut  into  two, — 

So  they  made  him  a  gown  of  a  sleeve  ! 

*  Gentleman's  Magazine,  1797,  p.  354.  Dr.  Philip  Hayes 
succeeded  Boyce  as  conductor  of  the  festivals  of  the  Sons  of  the 
Clergy  at  S.  Paul's,  pompously  beating  time  on  those  occasions 
with  a  roll  of  music-paper. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    301 

Dr.  Philip  Hayes  and  his  father  collected,  between 
them,  a  very  curious  and  valuable  library  of  music 
by  composers  of  the  sixteenth,  seventeenth,  and 
eighteenth  centuries,  consisting  of  services,  anthems, 
motetts,  masses,  psalms,  oratorios,  voluntaries,  con- 
certos, sonatas,  operas,  glees,  catches,  songs,  can- 
tatas, etc.,  by  Tallis,  Tye,  Gibbons,  Child,  Byrd, 
Blow,  Tudway,  Bull,  Morley,  Palestrina,  Carissimi, 
Leo,  Lotti,  Pergolesi,  Stradella,  Marcello,  Clari, 
Porpora,  Handel,  Pepusch,  Bach,  Rameau,  Gluck, 
Philidore,  and  others.  This  interesting  collection 
was  dispersed  by  auction,  after  Dr.  Philip's  death  in 
1797.  Copies  of  the  catalogue,  issued  from  "  Smart's 
Music  Warehouse,  the  corner  of  Argyle  Street, 
Oxford  Street,  London "  (where  the  whole  was 
deposited),  may  occasionally  be  met  with. 

Dr.  William  Hayes'  eldest  son,  Thomas,  was  Pre- 
centor of  Durham  Cathedral  and  Perpetual  Curate 
of  S.  Oswald's  Church,  Durham,  from  1759  until 
his  death  in  1819.*  William,  the  third  son,  who 
was  born  in  1741,  received  his  musical  instruction 
as  a  chorister  of  Magdalen  College  under  his  father. 
His  voice  developed  into  a  fine,  powerful  bass.  He 
obtained  a  minor  canonry  at  Worcester  in  1765, 
and  on  14  January  in  the  following  year  was  elected 
a  minor  canon  of  S.  Paul's.  He  became  Senior 
Cardinal  in  1783,  and  held  the  chapter  living  of 
Tillingham,  Essex.  On  his  death,  which  took  place 
on  22  October,  1790,  he  was  buried  in  S.  Gregory's 

*  The  Rev.  Thomas  Hayes  was  succeeded  as  Precentor  of 
Durham  by  the  Rev.  Peter  Penson,  who  held  office  until  his  resigna- 
tion in  1 846.  The  Rev.  J.  B.  Dykes,  Mus.D.,  so  widely  known  by 
his  hymn  tunes  and  other  Church  music,  was  Precentor  of  Durham 
from  1849  until  his  resignation  in  1862. 


302      ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

vault  in  the  south-west  portion  of  the  crypt  of 
S.  Paul's.  To  The  Gentleman's  Magazine  of  May, 
1765,  he  contributed  a  paper,  "  Rules  necessary  to 
be  observed  by  all  Cathedral  Singers  in  this  King- 
dom." The  musical  pedigree  of  the  Hayes  family 
was  a  good  one.  Dr.  W.  Hayes  was  a  pupil  of 
William  Hine,  organist  of  Gloucester ;  Hine  of 
Jeremiah  Clark  ;  Clark  of  Dr.  Blow  ;  and  Blow  of 
Dr.  Christopher  Gibbons,  who  was  a  pupil  of  his 
father,  Orlando  Gibbons. 

James  Nares,  the  last  of  our  trio  to  be  considered, 
cannot  be  said  to  rank  with  Boyce  in  power  and 
originality,  but  the  marks  of  a  refined  taste,  and  the 
clearness  and  correctness  which  are  observable  in 
his  compositions  for  the  Church,  give  them  a 
highly  respectable  position.  In  his  choice  of  har- 
monies he  shows  a  good  school,  and  he  is  melodious 
with  a  simple  and  natural  vein  of  his  own. 

James  Nares  was  born  at  Stanwell,  Middlesex,  in 
171 5,  and  baptized  on  19  April  in  the  parish  church. 
His  father,  who  subsequently  became  steward  to  the 
Earl  of  Abingdon,  had  little  fortune  to  bestow  on 
the  education  of  his  family ;  but  a  casual  offer  of 
Bernard  Gates  determined  him  to  breed  his  elder 
son  a  musician,  and  the  boy  was  placed  in  the  choir 
of  the  Chapel  Royal.  He  subsequently  completed 
his  studies  under  Pepusch,  the  instructor  of  Boyce, 
Travers,  and  others.  After  acting  as  assistant  to 
Francis  Pigott,  organist  of  S.  George's  Chapel, 
Windsor,  his  first  regular  appointment  (at  the  age 
of  nineteen)  was  that  of  organist  to  York  Minster, 
where  the  Dean,  Dr.  Fountayne,  became  his  steady 
friend.     This  was  in   1734,  on  the  resignation  of 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    303 

Edward  Salisbury.*  It  is  related  that  when  the 
older  musician  first  saw  his  intended  successor  he 
said  rather  angrily  :  "  What  !  is  that  child  to 
succeed  me  ?  "  which,  being  mentioned  to  the 
organist  elect,  he  took  an  early  opportunity,  on  a 
difficult  service  being  appointed,  to  play  it  a  semi- 
tone below  the  pitch,  which  brought  it  into  a  very 
remote  key,  and  went  through  it  without  the 
slightest  error.  Being  asked  why  he  did  so,  he  said 
that  he  "  only  wished  to  show  Mr.  Salisbury  what 
a  child  could  do." 

Through  the  Dean's  influence  Nares,  in  1755, 
was  appointed  the  successor  of  Dr.  Greene  as 
organist  and  composer  to  the  Chapel  Royal,  and 
in  1757,  on  the  retirement  of  his  old  master, 
Bernard  Gates,  became  Master  of  the  Children.  In 
the  same  year  the  University  of  Cambridge  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  in  Music. 

Nares  appears  to  have  been  a  cultivated  man, 
possessing  general  talent  which  would  have  dis- 
tinguished him  in  paths  other  than  that  of  music. 
His  passion  is  said  to  have  been  for  literature,  and 
he  would  probably  have  taken  a  higher  place  in  his 
own  art  if  his  powers  had  been  more  absorbed  by 
its  prevailing  attractions.  His  chief  production 
for  the  Church  was  a  volume  containing  twenty 
anthems  in  score,  for  1,  2,  3,  4,  and  5  voices,  pub- 
lished in  1778.  After  his  death  a  second  volume 
was  issued  under  the  editorship  of  Edmund  Ayrton, 
who  had  been  one  of  his  choristers  at  York,  and 
who  succeeded  him  in  the  mastership  of  the  Chapel 
Royal  boys.  This  volume,  which  appeared  in 
1788,   contained  a  Morning  and  Evening  Service 

*  Afterwards  organist  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge  (1737-41). 


304     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

in  C  major  and  six  anthems.  Modern  editions  of 
both  volumes  were  subsequently  prepared  under 
the  editorship  of  Vincent  Novello  and  J.  L.  Hop- 
kins, the  latter  adding  to  the  Service  in  C,  which  is 
of  a  very  pleasing  character,  a  Sanctus  and  Kyrie  of 
his  own  composition. 

Nares'  representative  work  is  his  Service  in  F. 
It  was  originally  printed  in  Arnold's  Cathedral 
Music,  and  subsequently  by  Novello  in  his  Cathe- 
dral Choir  Book.  The  earlier  manuscript  copies 
of  this  service  vary  in  several  places  from  the  printed 
ones.  This  is  apparent  in  a  score  book  containing 
a  number  of  services  made  in  1786  for  the  Rev.  P. 
Moon,  Succentor  of  Lincoln  Cathedral,  now  in 
the  possession  of  the  present  writer.  The  service 
was  written  by  Nares  while  he  was  organist  at 
York,  and  it  may  be  assumed  that  when  established 
at  the  Chapel  Royal  he  altered  and  modified 
several  of  its  passages.  Arnold's  copy  was  derived 
from  the  Chapel  Royal  books,  and  subsequent 
editors  followed  his  version,  which,  in  all  proba- 
bility, received  the  composer's  latest  sanction.  Nares 
wrote  three  Morning  Services — in  the  keys  of 
D  major,  E^,  and  G  major.  The  first  was  printed 
by  Rimbault  in  his  volume  of  Cathedral  Services ; 
the  other  two  are  still  in  the  books  of  the  Chapel 
Royal. 

The  anthems  in  the  two  volumes  above  men- 
tioned, which  exhibit  Nares  in  the  most  favourable 
light,  are,  "  Arise,  Thou  Judge  of  the  world," 
"  By  the  waters  of  Babylon,"  "  O  Lord,  my  God, 
I  will  exalt  Thee,"  "  The  souls  of  the  righteous," 
"  Call  to  remembrance,"  and  "  O  what  troubles 
and  adversities."     Two  full  anthems — "  O  Lord, 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    305 

grant  the  King  a  long  life,"  and  "  Try  me,  O  God," 
and  one  with  a  duet  for  trebles,  "  Blessed  is  he  that 
considereth  the  poor  and  needy  " — were  printed 
in  Arnold's  Cathedral  Music.  The  last-named  was 
at  one  time  invariably  sung  at  the  distribution  of 
the  Royal  Maundy  in  Whitehall  Chapel.  Page's 
Harmonia  Sacra  contains  "  Blessed  be  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel,"  and  Longhurst's  collection,  Short 
Anthems  as  used  in  Canterbury  Cathedral  (1849), 
"  Behold,  now  praise  the  Lord,"  both  having  duets 
for  trebles,  extremely  pleasing  in  style. 

Nares'  miscellaneous  publications  included  Eight 
Sets  of  Lessons  for  the  Harpsichord,  dedicated  to  the 
Earl  of  Abingdon,  published  in  1748,  and  reprinted 
in  1757  ;  Five  Lessons  for  the  Harpsichord,  dedicated 
to  the  Countess  of  Carlisle  (1758)  ;  A  Set  of  Easy 
Lessons  for  the  Harpsichord ;  II  Principio — an 
Introduction  to  playing  on  the  Harpsichord  or  Organ  ; 
'The  Royal  Pastoral,  a  Dramatic  Ode ;  Catches, 
Canons,  and  Glees,  dedicated  to  Lord  Mornington ; 
Six  Fugues,  with  Introductory  Voluntaries  for  the 
Organ  or  Harpsichord ;  *  and  two  Treatises  on 
Singing.  The  last-named,  containing  some  duets, 
were  the  standard  works  employed  for  solfeggio 
purposes  for  the  boys  at  S.  Paul's,  Westminster, 
and  the  Chapel  Royal  until  some  fifty  years  ago. 
Nares  had  the  reputation  of  being  an  excellent 
trainer  of  boys'  voices,  many  of  his  anthems  having 
been  written  to  exhibit  the  accomplishments  of 
his  young  charges.  The  degree  of  excellence  the 
boys  attained  was  not  won  in  those  days  (and  even 

*  One  of  these  pieces — a  very  charming  Introduction  and 
Fugue  in  Et? — has  been  edited  by  Mr.  John  E.  West  for  his 
series,  Old  English  Organ  Music. 


306     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

down  to  the  time  of  William  Hawes,  who  died  in 
1846)  without  the  infliction  of  much  corporal 
punishment. 

The  elementary  productions  of  Nares  in  the 
instrumental  and  vocal  departments  of  the  art 
indicate  the  advance  of  music  as  a  general  pursuit 
in  England,  and  that  his  time  was  a  good  deal 
occupied  in  teaching. 

The  melodious  psalm  tunes  which  he  contributed 
to  our  collections,  such  as  those  named,  "  Eversley," 
"  Westminster,"  and  "  Aynhoe,"  must  not  be  over- 
looked in  any  estimate  of  his  musical  powers. 

In  1780  failing  health  caused  Nares  to  resign 
his  appointment  of  Master  of  the  Children  of  the 
Chapel  Royal  in  favour  of  Edmund  Ayrton,  whose 
probationary  composition  was  an  anthem,  "  Thy 
righteousness,  O  God,  is  very  high."  A  note  by 
Dr.  Crotch  on  a  manuscript  score  of  this  piece  in 
the  Ouseley  Collection  at  S.  Michael's  College, 
Tenbury,  states  :  "  Dr.  Nares,  being  satisfied  with 
this  anthem,  gave  up  the  mastership  of  the  Chapel 
Royal  Boys  to  Dr.  Ayrton,  in  July,  1780.  The  King 
bowed  when  the  anthem  was  performed." 

Dr.  Nares  died  on  10  February,  1783,  and  was 
buried  in  the  church  of  S.  Margaret,  Westminster. 
There  is  a  mural  tablet  to  his  memory  at  the  west 
end  of  the  south  aisle.  His  younger  brother, 
Sir  George  Nares,  who  pursued  the  law,  rose  to 
great  eminence,  and  became  Justice  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas.  His  eldest  son,  the  Rev.  Robert 
Nares,  m.a.,  f.r.s.,  f.s.a.,  was  Archdeacon  of  Stafford, 
Canon  Residentiary  of  Lichfield,  and  Rector  of 
All-Hallows,  London  Wall.  He  died  in  March, 
1829.     Dr.    Nares    married,    while    at    York,    the 


AC-SIMILE    OF    A    PAGE    FROM    THE    AUTOGRAPH    SCORE    OF    Dr.  NARES'     SERVICE  IN    C. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    307 

youngest  daughter  of  Mr.  Pease,  a  merchant  at 
Leeds.  She  survived  her  husband  forty  years,  and 
died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety. 

A  portrait  of  Nares  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  was 
engraved  for,  and  prefixed  to,  the  volume  of  his 
anthems  edited  by  Ayrton. 


CHAPTER   X 

THE    LATER    GEORGIAN    PERIOD    (continued) 

The  remaining  composers  of  note  during  the  latter 
half  of  the  eighteenth  century  stand  in  the  follow- 
ing order  :  Benjamin  Cooke,  Thomas  Sanders 
Dupuis,  Jonathan  Battishill,  Samuel  Arnold,  William 
Jackson  of  Exeter,  Richard  Langdon,  John  Alcock, 
Edmund  Ayrton,  John  Christmas  Beckwith,  and 
Thomas  Ebdon.  Of  these,  the  lives  of  the  last 
eight  were  prolonged  into  the  early  years  of  the 
nineteenth  century. 

Benjamin  Cooke,  the  son  of  a  music-seller,  was 
born  in  New  Street,  Covent  Garden,  in  1734. 
We  do  not  find  that  young  Cooke  was  admitted 
into  any  of  the  metropolitan  choirs,  but  he  was 
placed,  soon  after  the  death  of  his  father,  and  when 
only  nine  years  old,  under  Christopher  Pepusch, 
from  whom  he  caught  that  taste  for  collecting 
music  and  for  antiquarian  research  which  tinged 
his  life,  his  character,  and  his  labours. 

Cooke's  musical  precocity  was  great,  and  he  made 
such  quick  and  steady  progress  that  he  was  fully 
qualified  at  the  age  of  twelve  to  ascend  the  organ- 
loft  of  Westminster  Abbey  and  to  act  as  deputy  for 
John  Robinson,  the  then  organist.     In  1748,  when 

308 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    309 

only  fifteen,  he  wrote  an  anthem,  "  Let  all  the  just, 
O  God,"  expressly  for  Founder's  Day  at  the  Char- 
terhouse, where  Pepusch  was  organist.  In  the 
same  year  he  succeeded  Howard  as  Librarian  of  the 
Academy  of  Ancient  Music.  Three  years  later 
he  was  appointed  Conductor  of  the  Ancient  Con- 
certs, and  held  this  post  until  1789,  when  a  quarrel 
with  Dr.  Samuel  Arnold  led  to  his  resignation. 
In  September,  1757,  Cooke  was  nominated  Master 
of  the  Choristers  of  Westminster  Abbey,  on  the 
retirement  of  Bernard  Gates ;  on  27  January,  1758, 
he  was  installed  as  lay  vicar  ;  and  on  I  July,  1762, 
he  was  appointed  by  Dr.  Zachary  Pearce  (Bishop 
of  Rochester  and  Dean  of  Westminster,  1756-74) 
organist  of  the  same  church.  In  1764  he  wrote, 
in  his  official  capacity,  an  anthem  beginning,  "  The 
Lord  in  His  wrath,"  for  the  funeral  of  the  Duke  of 
Cumberland.  In  1775  he  took  the  degrees  of 
Mus.B.  and  Mus.D.  at  Cambridge,  "  by  accum- 
ulation." His  exercise  on  the  occasion  was  an 
anthem,  "Behold,  how  good  and  joyful,"  which 
had  previously  done  duty  at  the  installation  of 
the  Bishop  of  Osnaburgh,  afterwards  Duke  of 
York,  as  a  Knight  of  the  Bath,  in  Henry  VII's 
Chapel.  This  piece  continued  to  be  performed 
at  every  installation  down  to  181 2.*  In  1779  he 
wrote  a  march,  expressly  for  the  Notts  Regiment  of 
Militia.  In  1782  our  composer  was  a  candidate 
for  the  organistship  of  S.  Martin-in-the-Fields, 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Joseph  Kelway.  He  obtained 
the  appointment  after  a  sharp  contest,  in  which 

*  Another  piece,  written  by  Cooke  for  these  functions,  was  a 
setting  of  the  Offertory  Sentence,  "  Let  your  light  so  shine  before 
men." 


310     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Dr.  Burney  was  his  principal  opponent.  In  the 
same  year  he  was  admitted  to  his  Doctor's  degree, 
ad  eundem,  at  Oxford.  In  1784  he  was  one  of  the 
sub-directors  at  the  Commemoration  of  Handel 
in  Westminster  Abbey,  and  was  presented  by 
George  III  with  one  of  the  medals  struck  to  com- 
memorate the  event.  In  1791  he  wrote  two 
hymns  for  the  Foundling  Hospital,  "  Forgive,  O 
Lord  "  ("  before  the  Sacrament "),  and  "  Spirit  of 
Mercy  "  (for  Whit- Sunday).  One  of  his  last  com- 
positions was  an  anthem,  "  Praised  be  the  Lord 
daily,"  which  bears  date,  1  May,  1793. 

Dr.  Cooke  suffered  much  from  gout  during  his 
latter  years,  and  he  spent  the  summer  months  of 
1790,  1 791,  1792,  and  1793  at  Ramsgate,  Brighton, 
Oxford,  and  Windsor.  At  the  last-named  place 
he  was  attacked  by  his  old  malady,  and  shortly  after 
his  return  to  town  the  disease,  combined  with  an 
affection  of  the  heart,  cut  him  off  suddenly  at  his 
house  in  Dorset  Court,  Cannon  Row,  Westminster, 
on  14  September,  1793.  He  was  buried  in  the  west 
cloister  of  the  Abbey,  and  a  mural  tablet  marks 
his  remains.    The  inscription  upon  it  states  that — 

his  professional  knowledge,  talents,  and  skill  were 
profound,  pleasing  and  various  :  in  his  works  they  are 
recorded,  and  within  these  walls  their  power  has  been  felt 
and  understood.  The  simplicity  of  his  manners,  the 
integrity  of  his  heart,  and  the  innocency  of  his  life  have 
numbered  him  among  those  who  kept  the  commandments 
of  God,  and  the  faith  of  their  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 

Below  is  engraved  his  "  Amen  "  (a  masterly  canon 
three  in  one,  by  double  augmentation),  which 
gained  a  prize  at  the  Catch  Club  in  1775. 

Dr.   Cooke  was  succeeded  as  organist  of  West- 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    311 

minster  Abbey  by  Dr.  Arnold  ;  as  Master  of  the 
Choristers  by  Richard  Guise  ;  and  as  organist  of 
S.  Martin-in-the-Fields  by  his  son  Robert. 

With  the  exception  of  his  well-known  devotional 
and  expressive  Morning  and  Evening  Service  in 
G  ;  one  anthem,  "  Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man 
cleanse  his  way  "  ;  the  "  Amen  Chorus  "  (sung 
after  Blow's  Service  in  A,  at  the  Commemoration 
of  that  composer  in  Westminster  Abbey) ;  and 
several  chants,  none  of  Cooke's  compositions  for 
the  Church  have  been  printed  in  modern  times. 
Vincent  Novello,  in  the  prefatory  matter  to  his 
edition  of  Purcell's  works  (four  vols.,  folio,  1829-32), 
gave  a  list  of  twenty  of  Cooke's  services  and  anthems. 
That  enthusiastic  editor  remarks — 

It  will  scarcely  be  believed  that  with  the  exception  of 
the  anthem  for  two  trebles  ["  Wherewithal"]  the  whole  of 
the  above  fine  collection  of  Church  music  has  been  allowed 
to  remain  unpublished  and  neglected ;  but  it  is  earnestly 
to  be  hoped  that  those  who  are  interested  in  the  preserva- 
tion and  improvement  of  English  sacred  music  will, 
without  further  delay,  endeavour  to  rescue  these  musical 
treasures  from  the  oblivion  to  which  they  are  now  hasten- 
ing and  that  the  gentleman*  who  is  so  fortunate  as  to  have 
hitherto  preserved  the  MSS.  will  obligingly  allow  of  their 
being  published  for  the  honour  of  the  composer's  memory, 
the  gratification  of  the  musical  world  in  general,  and  the 
advantage  of  cathedral  choirs  in  particular,  to  whose 
libraries  these  masterly  productions  would  form  a  most 
valuable  addition. 

Worthy  old  Vincent  Novello's  wishes  do  not, 
however,  appear  to  have  been  entirely  carried  out. 
The  melodious  Service  in  G  was  the  only  piece  of 
Cooke's  edited  by  him.     It  was  originally  written 

*  [Henry  Cooke,  the  composer's  third  son. — J.  S.  B.] 


312     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

for  the  reopening  of  the  organ  in  Westminster 
Abbey,  with  a  set  of  pedal  pipes  by  Avery,  in  1780, 
as  many  passages  in  the  organ  part  testify.  Novello 
printed  the  service  in  his  periodical  publication, 
The  Cathedral  Choir  Book  (1848),  but  it  seems  to 
have  been  given  some  years  earlier  by  Goss  and  Turle 
in  their  Services:  Ancient  and  Modem.  In  1881  a 
new  edition,  in  octavo  size,  was  prepared  for  Novello 
by  Sir  George  Martin,  when  the  opportunity  was 
taken  to  insert  the  Sanctus,  Kyrie,  and  Credo  from 
the  score  in  the  composer's  autograph,  now  at  the 
Royal  College  of  Music.  Another  service  was 
written  by  Dr.  Cooke  in  1787  at  the  request  of 
Lord  Heathfield,  for  the  use  of  the  garrison  at 
Gibraltar.  This  remains  unpublished,  the  auto- 
graph being  also  at  the  Royal  College  of  Music. 
Directions  for  the  performance  of  this  service  are 
laid  loose  inside  the  cover.  An  oblong  quarto 
volume  of  Cathedral  music,  formerly  belonging  to 
James  Marquet,  lay  vicar  of  Westminster,  is  in  the 
possession  of  the  present  writer.  It  contains  por- 
tions of  this  service,  and  a  note  attached  states  that 
"  His  lordship,  with  some  of  his  staff  officers  and 
various  others,  attended  at  the  Doctor's  residence, 
in  Dorset  Court,  to  hear  the  whole  of  the  music 
performed,  and  which  obtained  a  simultaneous 
approbation." 

The  only  published  anthem  of  Cooke's  was 
"  Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man,"  originally 
written  in  E  major,  but  transposed  to  D  in  the 
printed  copy,  which  appeared  in  1762.  This  was 
probably  the  anthem  alluded  to  by  Charles  Lamb 
in  his  delightful  Elia  essay  called  "  A  Chapter  on 
Ears,"   in   which   he    describes   a    musical   evening 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    313 

spent  at  his  friend,  Vincent  Novello's,  240  Oxford 
Street  : — 

*  *  *  Something  like  this  scene-turning  I  have  ex- 
perienced at  the  evening  parties  at  the  house  of  my  goop 
Catholic  friend  Nov — ,  who,  by  the  aid  of  a  capital  organ, 
himself  the  most  finished  of  players,  converts  his  drawing- 
room  into  a  chapel,  his  week-days  into  Sundays,  and  these 
latter  into  minor  heavens.  When  my  friend  commences 
upon  one  of  those  solemn  anthems,  which,  peradventure, 
struck  upon  my  heedless  ear,  rambling  in  the  side-aisles  of 
the  dim  Abbey,  some  five^-and-thirty  years  since,  waking  a 
new  sense,  and  putting  a  soul  of  old  religion  into  my 
young  apprehension, — (whether  it  be  that,  in  which  the 
psalmist,  weary  of  the  persecutions  of  bad  men,  wisheth  to 
himself  dove's  wings* — or  that  other,  which,  with  a  like 
measure  of  sobriety  and  pathos,  inquireth  by  what  means 
the  young  man  shall  best  cleanse  his  mind) — a  holy  calm 
pervadeth  me. 

The  chants  of  Dr.  Cooke,  which  are  known  and 
sung  in  every  cathedral,  were  probably  printed  for 
the  first  time  in  the  collection  made  by  Thomas 
Vandernan,  one  of  the  Gentlemen  of  the  Chapel 
Royal,  and  lay  vicar  and  music  copyist  of  West- 
minster Abbey.  This  book,  published  in  1770, 
under  the  title  of  Divine  Harmony,  is  now  very 
scarce,  and  much  prized  by  those  interested  in 
chant  lore.  Three  psalm  tunes  by  Cooke  were 
printed  in  A  Collection  of  Melodies  for  the  Psalms 
of  David,  according  to  the  Version  of  Christopher 
Smart,  A.M.,  by  most  Eminent  Composers  of  Church 
Music  (4-to,  c.  1760).  The  composers  represented 
in  this  collection — such  as  Boyce,  Howard,  Stanley, 
Baildon,  Nares,  Berg,  Long,  Randall,  and  Ayrton — 
were  then  all  living,  and  several  now  well-known 

*  [Kent's  "  Hear  my  prayer,"  probably.] 


3H     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

tunes  appeared  in  this  form,  doubtless  for  the  first 
time — Howard's  tune,  "  S.  Bride's,"  and  Boyce's 
"Chapel  Royal"  (or  "Hereford"),  for  example. 
One  of  Cooke's  tunes  (that  in  the  key  of  D,  on 
page  12)  was  given  by  Dr.  E.  G.  Monk  in  The 
Anglican  Hymn  Book  (1868),  where  it  is  set  to  the 
Rev.  R.  Corbet  Singleton's  processional,  "With  glad- 
some feet  we  press  to  Sion's  holy  mount."  It  is  a 
stately  melody  and  suits  the  words  admirably.  In 
1 79 1  Cooke  contributed  thirty  tunes  to  the  Rev. 
W.  Dechair  Tattersall's  Improved  Psalmody,  pub- 
lished three  years  later.  Five  psalm  tunes  which 
he  wrote  for  the  Earl  of  Aylesford  in  1787,  and 
eight  Psalms,  for  three  and  four  voices,  are  un- 
published. He  was  reputed  a  good  organist,  and 
wrote  a  number  of  pieces  for  his  instrument.  One 
of  these,  an  Introduction  and  Fugue,  is  included 
in  Novello's  Old  English  series. 

The  works  of  Dr.  Cooke  do  him  great  honour, 
and  he  is  one  of  the  most  solid  ornaments  of  the 
English  school.  As  a  Church  composer  it  may  be 
said  of  him  that  he  was  one  of  the  few  who,  during 
the  later  Georgian  era,  were  possessed  of  power 
and  individuality  of  character  sufficiently  marked 
to  enable  them  to  resist  certain  meretricious  in- 
fluences from  without.  That  he  admired  Handel 
is  sufficiently  evident,  but  still  he  remained  master 
of  himself,  and  every  one  of  his  works  displays  the 
independence  of  his  mind  and  the  individuality  of 
his  style  in  composition.  This  individuality  is 
clearly  to  be  remarked  in  his  Service  in  G,  in  his 
chants,  and  in  his  secular  music,  the  two  fine  glees, 
"  As  now  the  shades  of  eve  "  and  "  Hark  !  the  lark 
at  heaven's  gate  sings." 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN   PERIOD    315 

Among  Cooke's  compositions  for  the  stage  his 
music  for  Dr.  Delap's  tragedy,  The  Captives, 
deserves  especial  mention  ;  while  for  the  chamber 
two  duets,  "  Thyrsis,  when  he  left  me,"  and  "  Let 
Rubinelli  charm  the  ear,"  long  remained  favourite 
pieces.  He  also  wrote  a  setting  of  Collins'  Ode  on 
the  Passions,  edited  Galliard's  "  Morning  Hymn  " 
from  Paradise  Lost,  with  additional  accompaniments 
and  choruses,  and  published  two  books  of  canons, 
glees,  rounds,  and  duets. 

In  the  library  of  the  Royal  College  of  Music 
there  is  preserved  a  collection  of  music  in  nine- 
teen volumes,  chiefly  in  Dr.  Cooke's  handwriting, 
and  consisting  principally  of  his  own  voluminous 
compositions,  many  being  unpublished.  A  cata- 
logue raisonne  of  this  unique  collection  —  a  re- 
markable testimony  to  Cooke's  industry  and  re- 
search— would,  of  course,  be  impossible  within  the 
limits  of  this  sketch.  Those  interested  in  the 
matter  may  like  to  know  that  a  very  full  and  com- 
plete list  of  every  piece  contained  in  the  collection 
may  be  found  in  the  catalogue  compiled  by  the 
late  Mr.  W.  H.  Husk  for  the  Sacred  Harmonic 
Society  (1872),  in  whose  library  it  was  then  de- 
posited. 

Miss  Hawkins,  in  her  Anecdotes,  Biographical 
Sketches,  and  Memoirs,  gives  the  following  picture 
of  this  estimable  man  : — 

"  Everything  agreeable  is  connected  with  the  re- 
membrance of  Dr.  Cooke.  .  .  .  No  one  was  ever 
less  vain  of  superior  excellence  in  an  art,  or  rather 
less  sensible  of  it.  He  certainly  supposed  that  every- 
body could  do  what  he  did  '  if  they  would  but  try,' 
and  he  would  lend  his  abilities  to  assist  in  the  least 


316     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

ostentatious  manner.  When  seated  at  the  organ  of 
Westminster  Abbey,  where  it  will  be  acknowledged 
by  his  many  still-existing  scholars,  no  one  excelled 
him  in  accompanying  an  anthem,  he  would  press 
every  hand  that  would  be  useful  into  his  service; 
and  even  at  the  risk  of  addressing  himself  to  persons 
ignorant  of  the  first  principles  of  music,  he  would 
say  to  any  lad  who  had  strolled  into  the  church,  and 
found  his  way  up  to  the  organ,  '  Young  gentleman, 
can't  you  lend  us  a  hand  here  ? '  To  his  boys  he 
would  say,  '  Come,  come,  don't  stand  idle ;  put  in 
one  hand  here  under  my  arm.'  " 

It  may  be  doubted  by  practical  men  whether 
this  general  invitation  to  accompany  and  double 
the  parts  on  the  organ  was  ever  given  to  strangers  ; 
once  in  a  way,  as  a  sally  of  humour,  upon  some  one 
occasion  when  Miss  Hawkins  was  present,  it  may 
pass ;  but  the  organ  resents  any  mistake  or  trip 
of  the  fingers,  and  the  judicious  organist,  when  he 
invites  assistance,  will  be  sure  to  know  beforehand 
who  it  is  that  he  asks.  Among  his  own  scholars 
this  trait  of  cordiality  is  natural  enough,  and  it 
shows  the  frankness  and  pleasant  footing  of  his 
intercourse  with  them. 

It  is  related  of  Dr.  Cooke  that  he  would  some- 
times say  he  hardly  knew  how  his  choristers  picked 
up  their  musical  education ;  he  believed  they 
learned  as  much  from  each  other  as  from  him. 
In  this,  however,  the  Doctor's  modesty  did  high 
injustice  to  his  ability  and  diligence.  Self,  or 
musical  instruction  would  never  have  produced 
such  pupils  as  left  the  choir  of  Westminster  Abbey 
while  it  was  under  his  tuition  :  in  fact,  in  that 
respect  and  at  that  particular  period,  the  master 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    317 

and  the  school  may  challenge  respect  with  any  other 
in  the  history  of  English  music. 

When  he  succeeded  Bernard  Gates  as  master  of 
the  boys  he  found  in  the  choir  Parsons,  afterwards 
Sir  William,  many  years  Master  of  the  King's 
Band ;  John  Crosdill,  who  became  the  greatest 
violoncello  player  of  his  day  ;  Thomas  Greatorex, 
who  eventually  (18 19-31)  became  organist  of 
Westminster  Abbey ;  *  Charles  Knyvett,  a  dis- 
tinguished singer  and  organist  (1 796-1 822)  of  the 
Chapel  Royal ;  and  Robert  Greville,  who  after- 
wards took  Holy  Orders.  To  these  succeeded 
John  Hindle,  whose  early  fate  alone  prevented  his 
attaining  that  eminence  as  a  composer  which  his 
glee,  "  Queen  of  the  silver  bow,"  proved  he  only 
wanted  time  and  experience  to  secure ;  James 
Bartleman,  the  distinguished  bass ;  Arthur  Thomas 
Corfe,  organist  (1804-63)  of  Salisbury  Cathedral; 
Thomas  Forbes  Walmisley,  organist  of  S.  Martin- 
in-the-Fields,  a  good  glee  writer,  and  father  of 
Thomas  Attwood  Walmisley,  the  Cambridge  Pro- 
fessor of  Music  ;  William  Beale,  composer  of  many 
fine  madrigals  ;  and  John  Jolly,  organist  (1821-38) 
of  S.  Philip's  Chapel,  Regent  Street,  a  vocal  com- 
poser of  much  merit.  Besides  those  who  were 
brought  up  in  the  choir,  Dr.  Cooke  had  also  as 
articled  pupils,  Reginald  SpofTorth,  who,  if  he  had 
never  written  anything  more  than  the  glees,  "  Hail  ! 
smiling  morn,"  and  "  Marked  you  her  eye,"  would 
have  done  honour  both  to  himself  and  his  instructor  ; 
Charles  Knyvett,  the  younger,  organist  of  S. 
George's,    Hanover    Square ;    and    Michael    Rock, 

*  At  his  funeral  Greatorex  desired  that  Dr.  Cooke's  "Amen 
Chorus  "  might  be  sung. 

Y 


318     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

organist  (1802-9)  °*  S.  Margaret's,  Westminster. 
In  addition  to  the  above  the  following  were  choris- 
ters under  Dr.  Cooke,  but  did  not  pursue  the  pro- 
fession of  music  on  leaving  the  Abbey:  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Drurv,  Head  Master  of  Harrow ;  the  Rev.  G.  P. 
Marriott,  Minor  Canon  of  Canterbury  and  Preben- 
dary of  York  ;  E.  G.  Walmisley,  Clerk  of  the  Jour- 
nals to  the  House  of  Lords ;  and  Augustus  Wall 
Callcott,  the  distinguished  painter. 

A  portrait  of  Dr.  Cooke,  engraved  from  the 
original  oil-painting,  was  presented  by  Robert 
Cooke,  the  composer's  second  son,  to  his  friend 
William  Hawes,  of  S.  Paul's  and  the  Chapel  Royal. 
On  Mr.  Hawes'  death,  in  1846,  it  descended  to 
his  son,  Mr.  John  Hawes,  of  the  Adelphi  Terrace, 
and  subsequently  of  Kensington,  who,  shortly  before 
his  death,  in  August,  1890,  gave  it,  with  several 
other  interesting  mementos,  to  the  present  writer. 

Robert  Cooke  succeeded  his  father  in  1793  as 
organist  of  S.  Martin-in-the-Fields.  In  1802  he 
succeeded  Dr.  Samuel  Arnold  as  organist  of  West- 
minster Abbey,  and  in  1806,  on  the  death  of  Richard 
Guise,  was  appointed  Master  of  the  Choristers  of 
the  same  church.  He  held  all  these  posts  until 
1 8 14,  when  his  mind  unfortunately  became  de- 
ranged, and  in  a  paroxysm  of  his  disorder  he  drowned 
himself  in  the  Thames,  near  Millbank,  on  22 
August.  He  was  buried  in  the  west  cloister  of  the 
Abbey. 

Robert  Cooke  was  one  of  the  first  members  of 
the  Philharmonic  Society,  on  its  foundation  in  181 3, 
together  with  Thomas  Attwood,  William  Hawes, 
Sir  George  Smart,  Sir  Henry  Bishop,  Tom  Cooke, 


WILLIAM  HAYES,    Mus.D.,  Oxon. 
(See  page  286.) 


JAMES  NARES,  Mus.D.,  Cantai 
(See  page  302.) 


BENJAMIN    COOKE.  Mcs.D.    Cantab. 
(See  page  308.) 


THOMAS  SANDERS  DUPUIS,  Mls.D.,  Cantai;. 
(See  page  320.) 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    319 

and  J.  B.  Cramer.  His  compositions  for  the  Church 
were  excellent,  and  partook  largely  of  his  father's 
style.  He  will  long  be  remembered  in  our  cathe- 
drals by  his  good  double  chants  and  by  his  bright, 
melodious,  and  well-written  Evening  Service  in 
C  major,  composed  in  1806,  originally  published 
by  Birchall,  and  subsequently  re-edited  by  Goss, 
Turle,  Rimbault,  and  Vincent  Novello.  He  left 
several  sacred  compositions  in  manuscript,  among 
them  being  an  anthem,  "  I  looked,  and  lo,  a  Lamb 
stood  on  Mount  Zion."  He  published  a  volume 
of  his  glees  in  1805,  and  wrote  several  psalm  tunes, 
printed  in  TattersalVs  Improved  Psalmody \  and  else- 
where. 

Robert  Cooke  was  the  compiler  of  a  collection  of 
chants  for  the  daily  use  of  Westminster  Abbey. 
The  printed  collection,  originally  published  under 
the  editorship  of  James  Turle  in  1855,  and  the  two 
subsequent  enlarged  and  improved  editions,  issued 
by  Sir  Frederick  Bridge  in  1878  and  1894,  are  based 
on  Cooke's  selection.  The  single  chants,  much 
as  they  were  originally  given  by  Cooke,  were  printed 
as  musical  supplements  to  the  second  and  third 
numbers  of  The  Parish  Choir  (March  and  April, 
1846). 

A  song  which  he  wrote  in  imitation  of  Purcell 
for  James  Bartleman  is  worthy  of  mention.  Another 
song,  "  The  Farewell,"  was  printed  in  The  Har- 
monist (Bohn,  1866). 

Samuel  Wesley,  the  celebrated  organist  and 
composer,  in  a  lengthy  epistle  to  his  elder  brother 
Charles,  dated  15  January,  1807,  observes  : — 

I  have  promised  to  go  on  Sunday  to  the  Abbey,  after 
which  I  am  to  dine  with  Robert  Cooke,  the  organist,  son 


320     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

of  the  Dr.  Cooke  you  remember.  He  is  very  knowing  in 
music,  and  is  a  pleasant  man  when  you  get  at  him,  though 
he  is  rather  shy  and  reserved  at  first.  Callcott,  having 
heard  that  I  am  to  play  at  the  Abbey  on  Sunday,  has 
engaged  John  Cramer  to  come  too,  so  that  I  must  mind 
my  p's  and  q's  in  such  u  worshipful  society."  The  touch 
of  the  organ  is  remarkably  good,  indeed,  rather  too  light 
for  me.  It  is  a  complete  contrast  with  S.  Paul's,  where 
you  may  remember  that  the  keys  are  all  as  stubborn  as 
Fox's  Martyrs,  and  bear  almost  as  much  buffeting. 

Thomas  Sanders  Dupuis,  son  of  John  Dupuis, 
of  a  Huguenot  family  settled  in  London,  was  born 
5  November,  1733.  The  father  held  some  situation 
at  Court  under  George  II,  and  this  was  probably 
the  reason  why  his  son  was  placed  in  the  choir  of 
the  Chapel  Royal.  The  rudiments  of  his  musical 
education  were  received  there  from  Bernard  Gates, 
and  he  afterwards  became  an  organ  pupil  of  Travers, 
for  whom,  in  the  early  part  of  his  life,  he  officiated 
as  deputy.  About  1773  he  was  organist  of  Char- 
lotte Street  Chapel  (now  called  S.  Peter's  Chapel), 
near  Buckingham  Palace.  On  the  death  of  Boyce, 
in  1779,  h-e  was  appointed  organist  and  composer 
to  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  it  is  probable,  says  one 
of  his  biographers,  "  that  the  Bishop  of  London 
(Louth)  never  exercised  his  taste  and  judgment 
more  properly  than  by  appointing  so  worthy  a 
man  to  so  respectable  a  situation."  In  1784  he 
was  nominated  one  of  the  assistant-directors  of  the 
Commemoration  of  Handel,  and  in  1790  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  degrees  of  Mus.B.  and  Mus.D.  at 
Oxford.  He  died  in  consequence  of  taking  an 
excessive  dose  of  opium  at  his  house  in  King's  Row, 
Park  Lane,  on  17  July,  1796,  and  was  buried  on  the 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    321 

24th  in  the  west  cloister  of  Westminster  Abbey, 
where  there  is  a  mural  tablet  to  his  memory.  He 
was  in  his  sixty- third  year.* 

Sound  knowledge  and  good  taste  are  more  con- 
spicuous in  the  compositions  of  Dr.  Dupuis  than 
brilliancy  of  genius  ;  but  they  are  by  no  means 
deficient  in  invention,  though  this  was  in  some 
measure  curbed  by  his  devotion  to  the  school 
of  music  in  which  he  had  been  educated,  and  of 
which  he  was  to  the  last  a  most  uncompromising 
defender. 

A  selection  from  the  Cathedral  music  of  Dr. 
Dupuis  was  published  after  his  death  by  his  friend 
and  pupil  John  Spencer.  It  appeared  in  three 
handsome  volumes  in  April,  1797,  at  Smart's 
Music  Warehouse,  331  Oxford  Street,  the  proceeds 
of  the  sale  being  given  to  the  New  Musical  Fund. 
The  contents  comprised  verse  services  in  E^  and  F 
(Te  Deum,  Jubilate,  Sanctus,  Kyrie,  Credo,  Cantate, 
and  Deus),  a  full  Morning  Service  (Te  Deum  and 
Jubilate)  in  C,  and  a  full  Morning  and  Evening 
Service  (Te  Deum,  Jubilate,  Sanctus,  Magnificat,  and 
Nunc  Dimittis)  in  D,  together  with  four  full  and  ten 
solo  and  verse  anthems.  The  Te  Deum  and  Jubilate 
from  the  Service  in  E^  were  composed  "  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  Rt.  Rev.  the  Bishop  of  London,  upon 
a  plan  suggested  by  his  Lordship."  Certain  of  the 
anthems  have  accompaniments  for  violoncello, 
written  expressly  for  the  famous  John  Crosdill, 
violist  to  the  Chapel  Royal.  The  only  pieces  that 
have  been  reprinted  from  this  selection  are  the 
Service  in  D  and  two  full  anthems, "  Not  unto  us  " 

*  His  age  is  given  as  60  in  the  burial  register  of  Westminster 
Abbey  and  as  66  on  the  tablet. 


322      ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

and  "  O  God,  whose  nature  and  property,"  all 
edited  by  Mr.  John  E.  West. 

Much  of  Dupuis'  Church  music  remains  unpub- 
lished. In  the  books  of  the  Chapel  Royal  there  are 
services  in  A  major,  B^,  and  G  minor,  and  some 
thirty  anthems.  In  Page's  Harmonia  Sacra  (1800) 
two  additional  anthems  were  inserted,  "  I  cried 
unto  the  Lord  "  and  "  The  Lord,  even  the  most 
mighty  God,  hath  spoken."  Both  merit  republi- 
cation. Dupuis  published  three  sets  of  chants  : 
(1)  Sixteen  Double  and  Single  Chants  as  performed  at 
the  Chapel  Royal,  &c.  13  c*  (2)  A  Second  Set  of 
[Twelve]  Chants,  composed  for  the  Use  of  His  Ma- 
jesty's  Chapel.  (3)  Twenty-four  Double  and  Single 
Chants  as  performed  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  S.  PauVs, 
13  c.  All  these  collections  are  now  very  scarce.  The 
third  appears  to  be  a  selection  of  the  best  chants  in 
the  two  first  sets. 

As  a  performer  on  the  organ  Dupuis  is  said  to 
have  been  excelled  by  few  Englishmen  of  his  time. 
He  was  especially  remarkable  for  his  powers  in  im- 
provising fugues.  When  Haydn  visited  London  in 
1 791  he  attended  service  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  and 
was  so  much  delighted  with  Dupuis'  extemporaneous 
fugues  that,  meeting  him  in  the  Ambassadors'  Court 
after  he  came  down  from  the  organ-loft,  he  gave 
him  two  kisses,  much  to  the  astonishment  of  young 
George  Smart,t  his  pupil  and  deputy,  who  was 
standing  by. 

*  The  first  double  chant  in  this  set  is  the  well-known  one  in 
B  flat,  which  has  been  spoilt  in  every  modern  collection  by  its 
transposition  into  A. 

f  Afterwards  Sir  George  Smart,  one  of  the  successors  of 
Dupuis  as  organist  and  composer  to  the  Chapel  Royal. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    323 

Dupuis  published  a  set  of  his  voluntaries,  and 
others  were  included  in  the  organ  part  which  con- 
stitutes the  third  volume  of  his  Cathedral  Music. 
Several  of  these  pieces  have  recently  been  included 
in  Novello's  Old  English  Organ  Music.  He  also 
wrote  two  or  three  sets  of  Sonatas  for  the  Pianoforte, 
and  two  Concertos  for  the  same  instrument.  He 
was  among  the  contributors  to  TattersalTs  Psalmody. 
His  pretty  glee,  "  Gathering  violets  yesterday," 
was  inserted  in  Book  VII  of  Amusement  for  the 
Ladies,  a  large  collection  of  catches,  canons,  glees, 
and  madrigals. 

In  1790,  the  year  in  which  he  took  his  degrees, 
Dupuis  formed  the  "  Graduates  Meeting,"  for  the 
purpose  of  social  intercourse  between  musical  pro- 
fessors resident  in  London.  It  was  established  on 
24  November  at  Dr.  Arnold's  house,  480  Strand, 
opposite  Craven  Street.  An  account  of  it  exists  in 
the  British  Museum  in  the  handwriting  of  Dr. 
Callcott.  Among  the  members  were  Arnold, 
Burney,  Cooke,  Dupuis,  Alcock,  and  Callcott. 
Meetings  were  held  at  intervals  at  the  houses  of  the 
members,  and  it  is  recorded  that  "  Dr.  Haydn," 
who  joined  the  Society  in  1791,  gave  his  dinner  at 
Parsloe's  Coffee  House,  in  S.  James'  Street,  on 
20  June,  1792.  Discords  occasionally  arose,  as,  for 
instance,  when  a  member  proposed  that  no  one 
should  be  elected  to  any  cathedral  appointment 
without  a  testimonial  from  the  "  Graduates  Meet- 
ing," which  met  with  so  much  disapprobation  that 
the  proposer  retired  from  the  Society  ;  but,  on  the 
whole,  the  objects  of  friendship  and  conviviality 
seem  to  have  been  fairly  well  carried  out.  The 
largest  number  reached  by  the  members  seems  to 


324      ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

have  been  fourteen,  that  being  the  number  of 
graduates  in  London  soon  after  its  foundation. 
The  Society  seems  to  have  died  a  natural  death 
about  the  beginning  of  the  last  century.* 

A  portrait  of  Dupuis  in  his  Doctor's  robes,  en- 
graved from  the  original  painting  by  J.  Russell,  r.a., 
in  the  possession  of  Sir  Charles  Grave  Hudson,  Bart., 
was  prefixed  to  the  printed  selections  from  his 
Cathedral  music. 

The  memory  of  Jonathan  Battishill  was 
brought  closely  home  to  the  generation  of  musicians 
living  sixty  years  ago  through  the  anecdotes  which 
they  remembered  to  have  heard  concerning  him 
from  the  friends  of  their  youth  who  knew  him  per- 
sonally. The  son  of  a  solicitor,  he  was  born  in 
London,  I  May,  1738,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  was 
admitted  a  chorister  of  S.  Paul's  Cathedral  under 
William  Savage,  who  had  just  then  succeeded 
Charles  King  as  Almoner.  After  leaving  the  choir 
he  acted  as  deputy  to  Dr.  Boyce  at  the  Chapel 
Royal,  and  held  the  appointment  of  organist  to  two 
city  churches,  S.  Clement,  East  Cheap,  and  Christ 
Church,  Newgate  Street.  Both,  however,  were 
relinquished  long  before  his  death. 

While  a  choir-boy  at  S.  Paul's,  Battishill  gave 
indications  of  a  genius  for  music.  He  was  soon  able 
to  sing  at  sight,  and  practised  industriously  on  the 
harpsichord  and  organ.  He  studied  modulation  and 
the  interesting  varieties  of  combination  presented 
by  keyed  instruments,  and  having  prepared  his  hand 
to  execute  whatever  his  mind  conceived,  he  reached 
manhood  with  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 

*  Abdy  Williams,  Degrees  in  Music,  1893. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    325 

best  extempore  performers  on  the  organ  of  which 
the  country  could  boast. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three  Battishill  was  engaged 
as  conductor  (as  the  harpsichord  player  was  then 
styled)  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  and  married 
Miss  Davies,  an  actress,  who  created  the  part  of 
Madge  in  Love  in  a  Village.  In  1764  his  Almena 
was  produced,  but  the  "  book  "  was  bad,  and  it 
failed  in  consequence.  Some  of  the  choruses  in 
Almena — for  science,  dignity,  and  expression — de- 
serve to  be  ranked  with  the  highest  class  of  such 
productions.  Two  bass  songs — "  Pois'd  in  heaven's 
eternal  scale  "  and  "  Thus  when  young  Ammon 
march'd  along  " — written  for  Samuel  Champness, 
at  that  time  a  favourite  concert  and  theatre  vocalist, 
and  one  of  the  deputies  at  S.  Paul's,  are  extremely 
energetic  and  vigorous.*  In  ballads  he  achieved 
equal  success,  "  Kate  of  Aberdeen "  and  "  Ye 
nymphs  and  shepherds  of  the  grove "  affording 
proofs  of  the  beauty  and  originality  of  his  fancy  in 
this  species  of  composition.  He  wrote  several  glees, 
two  of  which — "  Underneath  the  Myrtle  Shade  " 
and  "  Come,  bind  my  hair  " — gained  prizes  given 
by  the  Noblemen's  Catch  Club  in  1770  and  1771. 
In  1776  he  published,  by  subscription,  two  collec- 
tions of  three-  and  four-part  songs. 

Battishill  was  one  of  the  professionals  engaged  to 
sing  at  the  private  concerts  given  by  those  marvel- 
lous boys  Charles  and  Samuel  Wesley  at  the  house 
of  their  father,  the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley,  in  Chester- 

*  William  Machin  (one  of  the  vicars  choral  of  Lichfield 
Cathedral,  and  latterly,  until  his  death  in  1870,  of  the  Chapel 
Royal  and  Westminster  Abbey)  used  to  render  the  song,  "Thus 
when  young  Ammon,"  very  finely. 


326     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

field  Street,  Marylebone.  In  after  years  Samuel 
Wesley  was  wont  to  relate  that  Battishill's  singing 
was  "  very  engaging,  energetic,  and  commanding," 
and  that  it  was  "  a  high  treat  to  hear  him  take  part 
in  a  duet  of  Handel's  or  a  canzonet  of  Travers's,  or 
sing  any  one  of  PurcelPs  songs  or  anthems."  His 
voice  was  a  fine  counter-tenor. 

Battishill  was  not  a  prolific  composer  of  Church 
music.  Most  of  it  was  published  posthumously. 
Two  anthems,  "  as  they  are  sung  at  S.  Paul's  Cathe- 
dral," were,  however,  printed  for  him  by  C.  and  S. 
Thompson,  75  S.  Paul's  Churchyard.  One  of  these 
was  the  fine  seven-part  "  Call  to  remembrance," 
full  of  the  most  tender  and  expressive  melody 
and  rich  harmony  ;  the  other,  "  How  long  wilt 
Thou  forget  me  ?  "  containing  a  treble  solo  of 
much  beauty.  Both  were  reprinted  by  Page  in 
his  Harmonia  Sacra  in  1800,  together  with  two 
others — "  Deliver  us,  O  Lord,"  for  four  voices,  and 
"  I  will  magnify  Thee,"  for  four  and  seven  voices. 

Page  was  Battishill's  literary  executor,  and  under 
his  editorship,  in  1804,  appeared  a  volume  contain- 
ing six  anthems  and  ten  chants,  with  a  memoir  of 
the  composer  by  Dr.  Busby.  Prefixed  was  a  fine 
portrait.  The  anthems  comprised  the  following  : 
"  The  heavens  declare"  (verse,  3  voices,  bass  solo,  and 
chorus,  5  voices),  composed  June,  1759  ;  "  Behold, 
how  good  and  joyful  "  (verse,  3  voices,  alto  and  bass 
solos,  and  chorus,  5  voices)  ;  "  I  waited  patiently  " 
(4  and  5  voices,  with  bass  solo,  and  alto  and  tenor 
duet),  composed  December,  1758  ;  "  Unto  Thee, 
O  Lord  "  (verse,  3  voices,  and  chorus,  4  voices), 
composed  10  December,  1761  ;  "  O  Lord,  look 
down    from   heaven "    (full,    6   voices),    composed 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    327 

5  June,  1765  ;•  and  "Save  me,  O  God"  (full,  5 
voices),  composed  December,  1761.  Some  of  these 
were  furnished  with  an  incipient  organ  part,  for  as 
yet  no  regular  compression  of  the  vocal  parts  for  a 
keyed  instrument,  with  which  we  are  now  so  familiar, 
was  provided  for  Church  music  beyond  a  figured 
bass.  The  ten  chants  in  this  volume  are  mostly  well 
known.  The  two  double  ones,  in  C  minor  and 
E  major,  are  now  generally  found  transposed  to  A 
or  B  minor,  and  D  major. 

Page  likewise  edited  an  Overture  and  Nine  Select 
Pieces  for  organ  or  piano,  composed  by  Battishill. 
These  were  printed  from  the  original  MSS.  in  the 
possession  of  the  Hon.  George  Pomeroy.  Vincent 
Novello,  in  his  collection,  Select  Organ  Pieces, 
printed  a  Pastoral  Movement  by  Battishill ;  and 
Mr.  John  E.  West  has  edited  two  pieces — (a)  Andante 
and  (b)  Alia  Marcia — in  his  series,  Old  English 
Organ  Music. 

Battishill's  mnemonic  powers  were  prodigious  ; 
he  not  only  could  play  a  piece  which  he  had  care- 
fully read  through  once,  but  could,  at  any  time 
afterwards,  recall  it  with  a  slight  effort.  On  one 
occasion,  when  dining  with  Dr.  Arnold  in  Duke 
Street,  Westminster,  he  played  to  him  the  greater 
part  of  his  oratorio  Hhe  Prodigal  Son,  which  the 
composer  himself  had  nearly  forgotten.  The  most 
singular  part  of  the  story  is  that  Battishill  had  never 
seen  a  copy  of  the  work,  and  had  only  heard  it  twice 
some  thirty  years  previously.  He  could  play  the 
longest  compositions  of  Handel  or  Corelli  by  heart. 
Of  Handel  he  was  an  enthusiastic  admirer,  but  there 
are  no  traces  of  the  style  of  that  composer  to  be 
*  Edited,  in  octavo  form,  by  Sir  George  Martin,  in  1878. 


328      ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

found  in  any  of  his  works.  He  was  extremely  fond 
of  playing  the  overture  to  Esther  on  his  organ  at 
Christ  Church,  Newgate  Street.  He  never  held  any- 
cathedral  appointment,  and  the  composition  of 
anthems  was  not  encouraged  in  his  time,  or  we 
might  possibly  reckon  more  than  the  ten  enumerated 
above.  His  beautiful  psalm  tunes,  such  as  "  S.  Pan- 
eras,"  also  bear  witness  to  the  expressive  and 
pathetic  character  of  his  genius.  If  he  has  left  us 
too  little  in  the  way  of  ecclesiastical  composition,  it 
is  all  excellent,  for  it  was  love  and  true  emotion 
which  prompted  him  to  write. 

It  is  related  that  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  in 
1775,  Battishill  dissipated  much  of  his  time  in  con- 
vivial parties,  and  so  far  gave  way  to  excess  as 
gradually  to  undermine  his  constitution.  One  of 
his  biographers  is,  however,  of  opinion  that  as  he 
lived  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  his 
loss  a  second  story  is  more  likely  to  be  true,  namely, 
"  that  it  affected  him  so  much  that  he  desisted  from 
composition  and  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  to  his  books,  of  which  he  had  collected  between 
six  and  seven  thousand  volumes,  chiefly  classical 
works."  The  tradition  that  he  wrote  the  anthem, 
"  Call  to  remembrance,"  in  the  billiard-room  of 
the  Queen's  Head  Tavern  in  Newgate  Street  in  an 
agony  of  remorse,  after  a  bout  of  dissipation,  is  not 
worthy  of  credence.  The  ingenuity  and  thought 
involved  in  the  construction  of  the  anthem  stand 
as  proofs  to  the  contrary.  "  His  last  days,"  writes 
one  of  his  biographers,  "  were  spent  in  peaceful  re- 
tirement, the  anxious  spirit  of  research,  which 
moved  his  mind  in  his  early  youth,  not  having  de- 
serted him  in  his  old  age."     He  died  in  his  apart- 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    329 

merits  at  Islington  10  December,  1801,*  and, 
according  to  his  dying  wish,  was  buried  near  Dr. 
Boyce  in  the  crypt  of  S.  Paul's  Cathedral.  It  is 
regrettable  to  observe  that  no  inscription  of  any 
kind  marks  his  resting-place. 

The  example  of  giving  to  the  world  the  Church 
music  of  the  past,  so  worthily  inaugurated  by 
William  Boyce,  was  continued  on  the  same  lines  by 
Samuel  Arnold,  whose  name  appears  to  be  the 
next  on  our  list  of  later  eighteenth-century  com- 
posers. He  was  born  in  London,  30  July,  1740,  and 
received  the  rudiments  of  his  musical  education  as 
one  of  the  Children  of  the  Chapel  Royal  under 
Bernard  Gates.  He  was  patronized  by  the  Prin- 
cesses Amelia  and  Caroline,  and  was  enabled  to 
complete  his  studies  under  Dr.  Nares.  In  1763  he 
was  engaged  by  Beard  as  composer  to  Covent  Garden 
Theatre,  and,  in  1775,  brought  out  The  Maid  of  the 
Mill,  the  first  of  a  long  series  of  pasticcios.  In  1769 
and  the  three  succeeding  years  he  lost  over  .£10,000 
in  the  production  of  operas  and  burlettas  at 
Marylebone  Gardens  ;  in  fact,  as  old  Sam  Wesley 
used  to  say,  he  "  speculated  himself  into  mischief 
too  often."  In  1773  he  was  offered  the  degrees  of 
Mus.B.  and  Mus.D.  by  the  University  of  Oxford, 
and  was  asked  to  allow  his  oratorio  The  Prodigal  Son 
to  be  performed  at  the  Installation  of  Lord  North 
as  Chancellor.  Arnold,  however,  declined  the  offer, 
saying  he  wished  to  adopt  the  usual  academical  mode 
of  graduation.  His  exercise,  a  setting  of  Hughes' 
Ode,  The  Power  of  Music,  was  written  in  the  regular 

*  Apparently  (from  documentary  evidence  in  my  possession) 
in  very  reduced  circumstances. — J.  S.  B. 


330     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

manner,  and  when  it  was  sent  to  Dr.  William  Hayes, 
the  Professor,  for  examination,  the  latter  returned 
it  unopened,  saying,  "  Sir,  it  is  unnecessary  for  me 
to  scrutinize  an  exercise  composed  by  the  author  of 
The  Prodigal  Son"  Thus  his  degree  became  doubly 
honorary. 

In  1783  Arnold  succeeded  Nares  as  Organist  and 
Composer  to  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  ten  years  later, 
on  the  death  of  Dr.  Cooke,  was  requested  by  the 
Dean  to  accept  the  post  of  organist  of  Westminster 
Abbey.  He  candidly  declared  himself  unable  to 
fulfil  the  duties  of  the  office  on  account  of  his 
various  professional  avocations.  However,  the  Dean 
(Dr.  Samuel  Horsley,  Bishop  of  S.  Asaph),  himself 
a  pluralist,  was  so  anxious  to  have  the  Doctor's  name 
that  he  gave  him  permission  to  accept  the  post  on 
his  own  terms,  and  to  perform  the  duty  by  deputy 
whenever  his  convenience  would  not  allow  a  per- 
sonal attendance.*  Three  years  later  he  succeeded 
Dr.  Philip  Hayes  as  conductor  of  the  annual  Festival 
of  the  Sons  of  the  Clergy  at  S.  Paul's.  He  was  also 
conductor  of  the  Academy  of  Ancient  Music  on  the 
secession  of  Dr.  Cooke  in  1789. 

In  1785  Arnold  undertook,  at  the  express  desire 
of  George  III,  to  superintend  an  edition  in  full 
score  of  the  works  of  Handel.    This  edition,  com- 


*  One  of  Arnold's  deputies  was  George  Smart  (afterwards  Sir 
George).  Another  was  John  Scott,  originally  a  chorister  in 
S.  George's  Chapel  and  Eton  College  under  Theodore  Aylward 
and  Edward  Webb.  He  subsequently  became  organist  of  the 
cathedral  at  Spanish  Town,  Jamaica,  and  died  in  181 5.  His 
anthem,  "  Praise  the  Lord,  O  Jerusalem,"  has  long  been  a 
favourite.  A  third  deputy  was  George  Ebenezer  Williams,  who 
was  afterwards  (18 14-19)  organist  of  Westminster  Abbey. 


yji 


SAMUEL    ARNOLD,  Mus.D.,  Oxon. 
(See  page  329.) 


EDMUND  AYRTON,  Mus.D.,  Cantab:  et  Oxon 
(See  page  350.) 


SAMUEL    WESLEY. 
At  the  Age  of  Eight. 
(See  page  383.) 


JOHN    BECKWITH,    Mus.D.,    Oxon. 
(See  page  352.) 


THE   LATER  GEORGIAN   PERIOD    331 

pleted  in  forty  volumes  in  1797,  was  long  considered 
unique. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  this  under- 
taking he  collected  materials  for  his  most  useful 
work,  the  Cathedral  Music,  which,  like  that  of 
Boyce,  was  dedicated  to  the  King.  The  object  of 
its  publication  may  be  best  explained  by  the 
Doctor's  own  words,  extracted  from  the  beginning 
of  his  Preface,  dated  from  480  Strand,  1  November, 
1790  :— 

As  the  late  Dr.  Boyce  lived  only  to  compleat  three 
volumes  of  Cathedral  Music,  and  as  many  of  the  valuable 
works  of  the  English  composers  (who  were  so  eminent 
in  that  stile  of  writing)  which  he  had  no  room  to  insert  in 
his  work,  appear  to  me  to  be  worthy  of  preservation, 
I  have  undertaken  a  Supplement  to  it,  trusting  it  will  not 
be  unacceptable  to  the  remaining  few  who  have  judgment 
to  taste  their  sublimity,  and  liberality  enough  to  encourage 
it.  Indeed,  I  am  well  aware  that  the  encouragement  will 
not  be  great,  as  it  is  not  the  fashion  to  study  Church  as 
well  as  secular  Musick,  and  if  the  Cathedrals  and  Churches 
in  England,  Ireland  and  Wales,  where  choir  service  is  per- 
formed (and  for  those  whose  use  this  work  was  principally 
intended)  do  not  encourage  it,  the  time  may  come  when 
this  sublime,  though  much  neglected  stile  of  composition 
(so  well  understood  by  our  forefathers)  will  be  totally  lost 
in  this  Kingdom. 

Arnold's  forebodings  proved,  alas  !  too  well 
founded,  for  it  appears  from  the  subscription  list 
that  no  more  than  120  copies  were  taken  up,  after 
the  expenditure  of  much  time,  labour,  and  money. 
This,  however,  does  not  lessen  the  value  of  the  effort 
made  by  Arnold,  neither  does  it  show  that  he  was 
indifferent   to   the   merits   of  that   department   of 


332      ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

music  with  which  from  his  earliest  years  he  had 
been  familiar.  With  regard  to  paper,  printing, 
engraving,  and  general  "  get  up,"  Arnold's  com- 
pilation compared  very  favourably  with  that  of 
Boyce.  Three  volumes  contained  the  vocal  score, 
with  basses  figured  for  the  organ  throughout.  A 
fourth  contained  an  organ  part  to  the  whole.  This 
resembled  the  old  manuscript  organ  books  so  fre- 
quently met  with  in  Cathedral  libraries,  the  words 
being  given  only  here  and  there  as  "  cues,"  and  not 
(as  in  Novello's  organ  part  to  Boyce)  continuously 
between  the  two  staves.  Here  we  find  an  early  in- 
stance— in  Church  music,  at  least — of  the  substitu- 
tion of  the  G,  or  treble  clef,  for  the  C,  or  soprano 
one.  The  subjoined  is  a  synopsis  of  the  contents  of 
the  Cathedral  Music  : — 

I. — Services  :  (i)  Complete  Services,  i.e.  with  the 
Morning  and  Evening  Canticles,  and  the  Sanctus, 
Kyrie,  and  Credo  in  the  Ante-Communion  Service  : 
Bryan  in  G,  Child  in  E^,  Goldwin  in  F,  King  in  A 
full*  (no  Evening  Service),  King  in  B^,  King  in  C,* 
King  in  F,*  Nares  in  F,  Patrick  in  G  minor,* 
Travers  in  F.     (2)  Morning  and  Evening  Services  : 

*  These  services  contained  no  settings  of  the  Sanctus.  One  given 
with  King's  full  Service  in  A  was  added  by  Robert  Hudson, 
Mus.B.,  who  made  a  similar  completion  for  the  Service  in  F,  and 
published  it  in  The  Cathedral  Magazine.  Samuel  Porter,  organist 
of  Canterbury  Cathedral,  1 757-1 803,  originally  a  chorister  in 
S.  Paul's  under  King,  wrote  a  Sanctus  for  use  with  his  master's 
Service  in  C,  whenever  it  was  performed  at  Canterbury.  This  was 
printed  in  Porter's  Cathedral  Music,  edited  posthumously  by  his 
son,  the  Rev.  W.  J.  Porter,  Head  Master  of  the  King's  School, 
Worcester,  181 3.  For  Patrick's  Service  in  G  minor,  Sir  John 
Goss  (organist  of  S.  Paul's,  1838-72)  wrote  a  Sanctus,  which  is 
unpublished. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    333 

Aldrich  in  A,  Greene  in  C,  King  in  A  (verse). 
(3)  Morning  Services  :  Boyce  in  A  (full),  Croft  in 
B  minor,  Hall  and  Hine  in  E^,  Travers  in  D  (Te 
Deum  only).  (4)  Evening  Service  :  Aldrich  in  E 
minor.  (5)  Settings  of  the  Sanctus  and  Gloria  in 
Excelsis :    Clark  in  A  minor,  Croft  in  B  minor. 

II. — Anthems  :  {a)  Solo  Anthems  :  Boyce  (4), 
Greene  (2),  Travers  (1),  Weldon  (1).  (b)  Verse 
Anthems  :  Carissimi,  adapted  by  Aldrich  (1),  Croft 
(2),  Greene  (7),  King  (1),  Purcell  (1),  Travers  (1), 
Tudway  (1).  (c)  Full  Anthems  :  Aldrich  (2),  Boyce 
(2),  Child  (2),  Goldwin  (1),  King  (3),  Kent  (1), 
Nares  (3),  Palestrina,  adapted  by  Aldrich  (1),  Tallis 
(2),  Weldon  (1). 

III. — Chants  :  Eight  single,  by  Aldrich,  Ayrton, 
Kent,  Nares,  Savage,  and  Travers ;  two  double,  by 
Dupuis  and  Nares. 

Boyce,  in  the  preface  to  his  third  volume,  ob- 
served : — 

There  are  three  ancient  services  by  Nathaniel  Patrick, 
Adrian  Batten,  and  Albertus  Bryan,  with  two  by  the  late 
Mr.  Charles  King,  Almoner  and  Vicar  Choral  of  the  Cathe- 
dral Church  of  S.  Paul,  London,  the  one  in  F,  the  other  in 
B?,  which  I  would  willingly  have  found  room  for,  could 
it  have  been  done  without  omitting  what  appeared  to  me 
to  claim  the  preference. 

And  again  : — 

Had  I  not  been  under  a  restriction  by  the  last  Will  and 
Testament  of  the  late  Dr.  Maurice  Greene,  I  should  have 
inserted  some  valuable  pieces  of  his,  particularly  his 
Service,  a  very  learned  and  judicious  composition,  and 
highly  deserving  of  preservation. 

All  these  omissions,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  above 


334     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

synopsis,  were,  with  the  exception  of  Batten's 
service,  supplied  by  Arnold. 

Left  pretty  much  to  make  its  own  way,  Arnold's 
collection  obtained,  in  course  of  time,  a  celebrity 
which,  from  its  extreme  utility  as  a  continuation  of 
Boyce,  it  so  amply  merited.  By  the  year  1843  the 
great  scarcity  of  copies  and  their  consequently  high 
price — no  second  impression  having  been  issued — 
together  with  the  increasing  demand  for  this  species 
of  music,  was  deemed  a  sufficient  reason  for  bringing 
out  a  new  edition.  In  that  year  D'Almaine  and  Co., 
the  music  publishers,  of  Soho  Square,  commissioned 
E.  F.  Rimbault,  then  beginning  to  be  known  as  a 
musical  antiquary,  to  undertake  a  new  edition  of 
Arnold.  Rimbault  accomplished  the  work  by  1847, 
and  it  was  brought  out  in  three  volumes  instead  of 
in  the  original  four,  the  modernized  organ  part 
being  placed  below  the  vocal  score.  When  Rim- 
bault began  his  work  he  was  living  at  9  Denmark 
Street,  Soho,  a  house  tenanted  by  his  father, 
S.  F.  Rimbault  (organist  of  the  neighbouring  church 
of  S.  Giles-in-the-Fields),  who  died  in  1837.  This 
house  is  still  standing. 

Rimbault's  edition  of  Arnold,  in  its  three  well- 
engraved  volumes  on  large  paper,  makes  a  very 
handsome  appearance.  It  is,  however,  deficient  in 
editorial  revision.  Rimbault  professes  to  correct 
several  of  Arnold's  misreadings,  but  he  himself 
makes  blunders,  and  there  are  also  various  other 
little  matters  which  ought  not  to  have  escaped  the 
observation  of  so  experienced  an  antiquary. 

When  D'Almaine  relinquished  music  publishing, 
the  plates  of  this  edition  were  purchased  by  J.  Alfred 
Novello,  though  he  never  reprinted  the  work  in  its 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     335 

entirety.  A  few  of  the  pieces  were  re-engraved  as 
necessity  required,  but  eventually  the  plates  were 
destroyed.  This  regrettable  circumstance  precluded 
the  possibility  of  reprinting  Nathaniel  Patrick's  fine 
Service  in  G  minor,  when,  some  twelve  years  ago, 
extra  copies  were  required  for  use  at  S.  Paul's 
Cathedral.  The  publication  of  Patrick's  service  by 
Arnold  was  a  distinct  gain  to  Elizabethan  music. 
Lately,  an  entirely  new  edition  has  been  brought 
out  by  Novello.  On  its  collation  with  other  copies, 
Arnold's  reading  was  found  to  be  incorrect  in  many 
places.  The  most  authentic  version  seems  to  have 
been  preserved  at  Worcester  in  some  manuscript 
copies  made  by  John  Hoddinott,  organist  of  that 
Cathedral  from  1724  to  1731.  As  Patrick  was 
organist  of  Worcester  Cathedral  in  1597,  Hoddi- 
nott's  reading,  on  which  this  new  version  is  based, 
may  be  accepted  as  authentic,  being,  in  all  proba- 
bility, traditional.  Dr.  John  Alcock,  of  Lichfield, 
lived  to  afford  Arnold  considerable  help  in  his  work, 
as  did  also  Robert  Hudson,  for  some  time  Almoner, 
Master  of  the  Boys,  and  Vicar  Choral  of  S.  Paul's.* 
Alcock's  assistance  is  worthy  of  note,  for,  as  pointed 
out  in  a  previous  chapter,  with  him  really  originated 
the  idea  of  making  such  a  collection  of  English 
Church  music.  In  the  possession  of  the  writer  are 
several  characteristic  letters  from  Alcock  to  Arnold 
on  the  subject.  Two  of  them  will  be  found  printed 
in  extenso  by  Mr.  T.  Francis  Bumpus,  in  the  third 
volume  of  his  work,  The  Cathedrals  of  England  and 
Wales. 

Dean   Stanley,   in   his   fascinating  Memorials   of 

*  Hudson's  pleasing  service  in  Eb  was,  a  century  ago,  a  favourite 
at  S.  Paul's.     It  has  not  been  printed. 


336     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Westminster  Abbey >,  styles  Arnold  a  "  voluminous 
composer,"  and  so  he  certainly  was.  This  may  be 
seen  by  the  list  of  his  works  in  the  various  bio- 
graphical dictionaries.  Arnold,  though  an  industri- 
ous man  and  a  sound  musician,  had  comparatively 
little  invention,  and  his  career  furnishes  a  remark- 
able instance  of  the  oblivion  into  which  men  of 
talent  fall  who  write  merely  for  money  and  their 
own  generation.  Of  his  four  oratorios,  eight  odes, 
three  serenatas,  forty-seven  operas  or  dramatic 
pieces,  three  burlettas  or  pantomimes,  besides  over- 
tures, concertos,  harpsichord  pieces,  glees,  and  songs 
— all  containing  melodious  and  thoroughly  English 
music — little  has  survived  beyond  the  bare  titles. 
Of  his  vocal  pieces  a  fair  idea  may  be  formed  from 
the  following,  published  in  the  third  and  fourth 
volumes  of  Charles  Knight's  Musical  Library  (1844)  : 
a  song,  "  The  Hardy  Sailor,"  and  a  duet,  "  Idalian 
Queen,"  from  the  opera  The  Castle  of  Andalusia  ; 
two  songs,  "  On  Board  the  Valiant,"  from  the  comic 
opera  The  Shipwreck,  and  "  An  Address  to  a 
Locket  "  ;  and  a  glee  for  four  voices,  "  The  Sea- 
sons." His  opera  The  Maid  of  the  Mill  contained 
much  charming  music,  and  a  song,  "  Flow,  thou 
regal,  purple  stream,"  from  The  Castle  of  Andalusia, 
is  even  now  occasionally  heard. 

Unlike  Boyce,  Arnold  never  attained  the  pos- 
thumous distinction  of  a  complete  edition  of  his 
Church  music.  He  left  four  services  and  some 
thirty  anthems  in  the  manuscript  books  of  the 
Chapel  Royal  and  Westminster  Abbey,  several  of 
the  latter  being  in  the  short,  full  style,  one  some- 
what unusual  at  a  period  when  lengthy  solos  and 
verses  were  the  fashion.    His  complete  Service  in  B^, 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     337 

composed  in  September,  1789,  was  published  by 
Goss  and  Turle  in  their  collection,  Services :  Ancient 
and  Modern.  His  melodious  and  well-written  Com- 
munion and  Evening  Service  in  A,  in  continuation 
of  Bovce's  Morning  Service,  and  his  Palm  Sunday 
anthem,  "  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom  ?  " 
are,  of  course,  well  known  through  the  medium  of 
their  publication  by  Novello  in  octavo  form.  His 
verse  anthem,  "  The  Lord  is  King,"  was,  within 
memory,  in  regular  use  at  Westminster  Abbey. 

In  conjunction  with  Dr.  J.  W.  Callcott  he  pub- 
lished a  work  called  The  Psalms  of  David  ;  for  the 
Use  of  Parish  Churches.  The  Words  selected  by  the 
Rev.  Sir  Adam  Gordon,  Bart.,  M.A.,  1791.  From 
this  collection  a  common-metre  tune,  in  A  minor, 
was  reprinted  in  the  Hymnary,  under  the  editorship 
of  Joseph  Barnby,  in  1872  (No.  226,  "  O  Lord,  turn 
not  Thy  face  from  me  "). 

With  Callcott,  Arnold  established  the  Glee  Club, 
whose  first  meeting  was  held  at  the  Newcastle 
Coffee  House,  Castle  Street,  Strand,  on  22  Decem- 
ber, 1787. 

A  short  time  before  his  death  Arnold  had  the 
misfortune  to  fall  from  a  ladder  in  his  library  while 
reaching  down  a  book  from  its  shelf.  This  fall 
snapped  a  tendon  near  its  insertion  at  the  knee,  and 
by  occasioning  a  tedious  confinement  brought  on  a 
train  of  disorders  that  preyed  on  his  constitution, 
and  no  doubt  hastened  his  dissolution.  His  last 
scene  was  preceded  by  a  painful  illness,  which  baffled 
medical  skill  and  subjected  him  to  acute  suffering. 
He  died  "with  the  utmost  composure,  his  last  words 
breathing  the  purest  sentiments  of  confidence  and 
devotion,"  at  his  house  in  Duke  Street,  Westminster, 


338     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

on  22  October,  1802.  He  found  an  honoured 
resting-place  in  the  north  aisle  of  Westminster 
Abbey,  near  Purcell,  Blow,  and  Croft,  his  prede- 
cessors in  the  organistship  of  that  church.  At  his 
funeral  the  choirs  of  S.  Paul's  and  the  Chapel  Royal 
joined  that  of  Westminster,  and  sang  an  anthem, 
"  I  heard  a  voice  from  Heaven,"  expressly  composed 
for  the  occasion  by  Dr.  Callcott.* 

On  one  of  the  pillars  near  his  gravestone  is  a 
marble  tablet,!  inscribed  thus  : — 

"To  the  beloved  and  respected  Memory  of 
Samuel  Arnold,  Doctor  of  Music.  Born  July 
30,  O.S.,  1740.  Died,  Oct.  22,  1802.  Aged  62  years 
and  two  months.  And  is  interred  near  this  spot. 
This  tablet  is  erected  by  his  affectionate  widow. 

Here  lies  of  genius,  probity  and  worth 

All  that  belongs  to  nature  and  to  earth. 

The  hand  that  freely  felt  and  warmly  gave 

The  heart  that  pity  stretch'd  to  help  and  save 

The  form  that  late  a  glowing  spirit  warmed 

Whose  science  tutor'd  and  whose  talents  charm'd 

Whose  spirit  fled  to  Him,  Who  spirit  gave, 

Now  smiles  triumphant  o'er  the  feeble  grave 

That  could  not  chain  it  here,  and  joins  to  raise 

With  Heaven's  own  choir  the  song  of  prayer  and  praise. 

Oh  Shade  revered !     Our  nation's  loss  and  pride 

(For  mute  was  harmony  when  Arnold  died)." 

"  Oh  let  thy  *  still-loved  son'  inscribe  thy  stone 
"  And  with  ■  a  mother's  sorrow'  mix  his  own." 

Below  is  represented  the  device  of  a  sickle  cutting 
a  lyre.  The  author  of  this  poetical  epitaph  was 
Arnold's  only  son,  Samuel  James  Arnold  (died  1852), 

*  Printed  by  John  Hullah  in  his  Singer's  Library. 

f   Removed,  in  1907,  to  the  adjacent  wall  at  the  back  of  the  stalls. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     339 

the  dramatic  author.  He  was  for  some  time  lessee 
of  the  English  Opera  House,  now  the  Lyceum 
Theatre,  where,  with  William  Hawes  as  musical  di- 
rector, many  most  interesting  works  were  produced. 

William  Jackson  "  of  Exeter,"  so  styled  to  dis- 
tinguish him  from  his  namesake,  William  Jackson 
of  Masham,  a  composer  flourishing  during  the  mid- 
Victorian  period,  was  a  man  of  decided  and  con- 
siderable merit  as  a  secular  writer.  The  son  of  a 
grocer,  he  was  born  at  Exeter,  29  May,  1730.  In 
1740  he  became  chorister  in  the  Cathedral  under 
the  then  organist,  John  Silvester,  and  subsequently 
went  to  London  to  study  with  John  Travers  at 
the  Chapel  Royal.  Returning  to  Exeter,  he  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  teacher,  and  in  1777,  on  the 
resignation  of  Richard  Langdon,  succeeded  him  as 
organist,  Succentor,  and  Magister  Puerorum  of  the 
Cathedral.  He  held  these  posts  until  his  death, 
5  July,  1803. 

Three  volumes,  containing  a  selection  from 
Jackson's  Cathedral  music,  were  published  after 
his  death  by  D'Almaine,  of  Soho  Square,  under 
the  editorship  of  his  pupil  and  successor,  James 
Paddon.  The  first  volume  contains  two  services 
(Morning,  Ante-Communion,  and  Evening)  in  the 
keys  of  C  major  and  E  major,  together  with  three 
anthems — "  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,"  "  Awake, 
awake,  put  on  thy  strength,  O  Zion,"  and  "  Blow 
ye  the  trumpet."  The  second  volume  contains 
the  famous  Service  in  F,  and  two  anthems — "  God 
came  from  Teman "  and  "  When  the  Day  of 
Pentecost."  The  third  volume  is  composed  of  a 
Morning,  Ante-Communion,  and  Evening  Service 


340     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

in  E^,  and  some  double  chants.  As  a  Church  com- 
poser Jackson  cannot  be  said  to  represent,  on  the 
whole,  the  highest  form  of  art.  His  anthems  are 
decidedly  superior  to  his  services,  being  by  no 
means  devoid  of  force  and  expression.  He  fre- 
quently makes  his  accompaniments  independent  of 
the  voice  parts — in  fact,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to 
do  so,  and  his  suggestion  was  eagerly  seized  by 
later  writers.  Though  this  novel  use  of  the  organ 
aroused  many  opponents  at  the  outset,  it  gradually 
found  supporters,  then  admirers,  and  then  imita- 
tors, and  Church  music  entered  into  a  new  phase 
of  life.  A  movement  in  his  anthem  for  Whit- 
Sunday  set  in  this  manner,  to  the  words  "  I  will 
show  wonders  in  Heaven  above,  and  signs  in  the 
earth  beneath.  Blood,  fire,  and  vapour  of  smoke," 
could  not  fail  to  be  effective  when  rendered  by  a 
good  choir  and  accompanist.  The  same  remarks 
will  apply  to  the  passage  in  "  God  came  from 
Teman  "  :  "  Selah  !  His  glory  covered  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  was  full  of  his  praise.  Before  Him 
went  the  pestilence,  and  burning  coals  went  forth 
at  His  feet."  The  final  chorus,  "  Turn  ye  to  Me 
with  all  your  hearts,"  from  the  anthem  "  Blow  ye 
the  trumpet  in  Zion,"  is  an  exceedingly  good  piece 
of  writing  in  a  more  subdued  style.  After  this 
there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  make  a  scapegoat 
of  William  Jackson  as  a  Church  composer.  His 
Te  Deum  in  F,  which,  like  the  rest  of  his  service 
music,  aims  at  simplicity,  is  jeered  at  by  all  modern, 
or  would-be  modern,  classicists ;  yet  it  is  still 
beloved  by  many,  and  there  is  one  good  point  about 
it.  Its  author,  an  obstinately  practical  Iman,  set 
the  words  without  repeats,   and  according  to  the 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     341 

sense  in  every  case.  In  the  Jubilate  of  the  same 
service,  the  verse  "  Be  ye  sure  "  is  loud,  unisonal, 
and  declamatory ;  then  comes  "  It  is  He  that  hath 
made  us  "  (a  pause  here  for  half  a  bar,  which  divides 
the  sense),  and  the  explanatory  clause,  "  Not  we 
ourselves,"  comes  in  admirably.  This  and  a  few 
other  similar  passages  always  seem  strong  points 
in  favour  of  "  Jackson  in  F,"  than  which  many 
worse  services  have  been  written  since.* 

Four  unpublished  services — in  A,  B^,  D,  and  G 
— and  several  anthems  by  Jackson  are  extant  at 
Exeter.  It  is  a  fact  worthy  to  be  recorded  that 
the  Service  in  F  includes  a  setting  of  the  Gloria  in 
Excelsis.  This  movement,  although  printed  in 
Paddon's  selection,  was  not  reproduced  in  Novello's 
octavo  edition  of  the  service  published  in  1857. 

Even  in  the  worst  days  of  Georgian  coldness  and  apathy 
a  full  choral  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion  was 
the  use  at  Exeter.  ...  In  connection  with  it  there  was 
a  very  curious  custom,  only  discontinued  within  com- 
paratively late  years.  As  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  old 
drawings  of  the  choir,  there  were  two  altar-rails  at  Exeter 
— one  near  the  Holy  Table,  the  other  at  some  distance. 
Within  these  rails  the  communicants  were  assembled,  and 
the  Sacred  Elements  administered  to  each  by  the  officiating 
priests  going  round  to  them.  At  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis  the 
ten  chorister  boys,  who  alone  appear  to  have  remained, 
were  ranged  outside  the  outermost  of  these  rails.  Two 
musical  settings,  for  treble  vocal  part  and  organ  accompani- 
ment, evidently  composed  for  this  service,  are  in  existence ; 

*  In  a  Te  Deum,  written  during  the  last  thirty  years,  the  passages, 
"  To  Thee,  Cherubim  and  Seraphim  continually  do  cry,  Holy, 
Holy,  Holy,"  and  "  The  Holy  Church  throughout  all  the  world 
doth  acknowledge  Thee  ;  the  Father  of  an  infinite  Majesty  ;  Thine 
honourable,  true,  and  only  Son,"  are  turned  into  absolute  non- 
sense by  the  tiresome  and  unmeaning  organ  interludes. 


342     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

one  in  B  minor  by  the  Rev.  Tobias  Langdon,  sub-chanter 
of  the  Cathedral  (d.  1712),  the  other  by  William  Jackson. 
After  the  service  the  boys  closed  the  procession  of  clergy, 
each  party  filing  off  to  its  respective  vestry.  But  when 
the  Bishop  was  present,  the  boys  preceded,  and  arranged 
themselves  in  a  line,  on  their  knees,  in  the  south  aisle,  to 
receive  the  Bishop's  blessing  as  he  passed  out  the 
cathedral  to  the  palace. 

One  who  did  good  work  for  the  Church  in  his  genera- 
tion, and  defended  Church  doctrine  when  it  was  unpopular 
to  do  so,  describes  this  interesting  and  touching  ceremony 
as  he  witnessed  it  performed  in  1 863,  by  Bishop  Phillpotts 
— "Henry  of  Exeter" — at  that  time  very  old  and  feeble. 
The  occasion  was  that  of  an  Ordination,  and  at  the  con- 
clusion of  the  Office,  the  Bishop  walked  down  the  choir 
leaning  on  his  stick,  the  choir-children  in  their  surplices 
going  two  and  two  before  him  as  far  as  the  door  which 
led  from  the  cathedral  to  the  palace.  On  arriving  at  this 
door  the  boys  knelt  down  in  a  row,  and  the  Bishop,  giving 
his  stick  to  a  servant,  put  his  two  hands  on  the  head  of 
each  boy  in  succession,  saying  to  each  as  he  did  so,  "  God 
bless  you,  my  child  !  "  The  narrator  was  a  comparatively 
young  man  at  the  time  and  had  followed  the  little  pro- 
cession, and  so  knelt  down  beside  the  last  boy.  The 
Bishop  stopped  for  a  moment  when  he  came  to  the  last 
boy,  and  looked  at  the  stranger  kneeling  down,  and  then 
put  his  hands  on  his  head  and  gave  him  his  blessing.* 

Although  not  of  such  frequent  occurrence,  this 
beautiful  and  pious  custom  is  still  observed  in 
Exeter  Cathedral  on  Christmas  Day,  Easter  Day, 
and  Whitsun  Day. 

Jackson  was  a  man  of  varied  accomplishments — 
an  organist,  composer,  essayist,  and  painter.  In 
imitation  of  his  master,  Travers,  he  wrote  two  sets 

*  T.  F.  Bumpus,  The  Cathedrals  of  England  and  Wales,  II, 
250,  251. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     343 

of  Canzonets  for  two  voices.  Three  of  these — "  Go, 
gentle  gales,"  "  Love  in  thine  eyes  for  ever  plays," 
and  "  Time  has  not  thinn'd  my  flowing  hair  " — 
are  very  melodious  and  graceful.  His  opera,  The 
Lord  of  the  Manor,  is  now  quite  forgotten,  with  the 
exception  of  one  song,  "  Encompassed  in  an  angel's 
frame."  He  published  three  sets  of  Twelve  Songs, 
Elegies  for  Three  Voices,  Twelve  Pastorals,  Six 
Vocal  Quartets,  Six  Madrigals,  Fourteen  Sonatas 
for  the  Harpsichord,  Six  Epigrams  for  voice  and 
pianoforte,  and  two  Odes.  He  was  a  friend  of 
Gainsborough,  had  a  good  taste  for  art,  and  was 
known  in  his  day  by  his  clever  landscapes.  In  1771 
he  was  an  honorary  exhibitor  at  the  Academy.  He 
copied  Gainsborough's  work  and  wrote  a  sketch 
of  his  life.  He  published  Thirty  Letters  on  Various 
Subjects  (1782),  The  Four  Ages,  and  Observations  on 
the  Present  State  of  Music  in  London  (1791). 

Jackson  died  at  Exeter,  5  July,  1803,  and  was 
buried  in  the  vestry  of  S.  Stephen's  Church,  where  a 
white  marble  monument  was  placed  to  his  memory. 

There  is  a  story  to  the  effect  that  Jackson,  who 
was  remarkable  for  his  ready  wit,  was  called  upon 
at  a  public  dinner  for  a  toast,  when  he  said,  "  I 
have  great  pleasure,  Mr.  Chairman,  in  complying 
with  your   command,   and  give  you   the  opening 

words   of   the   third   Psalm "     The   chairman, 

astounded  at  the  apparent  inappropriateness  of 
the  idea,  pulled  Jackson  up  by  exclaiming,  "  Oh, 
fie,  sir  !  the  beginning  of  a  psalm  do  you  give  for 
a  convivial  toast  ?  "  "  Yes,  sir — unless  you  will 
suggest  a  better,  I  give  you,  Lord  Hozv." 

A  portrait  of  Jackson,  engraved  in  1819  from  the 
original  by  J.  Walker,  is  now  scarce. 


344     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Two  months  after  the  death  of  Jackson  occurred 
that,  in  the  same  city,  of  his  immediate  predecessor 
in  the  Cathedral  organistship,  namely,  Richard 
Langdon. 

Langdon  appears,  like  S.  S.  Wesley  in  after  years, 
to  have  been  of  a  somewhat  restless  disposition, 
moving  about  from  cathedral  to  cathedral,  perhaps 
finding  "  musical  troubles "  at  each.  He  was  organ- 
ist of  Exeter  in  1 75  3 ,  of  Ely  in  1  jjj,  of  Bristol  in  1 778, 
and  of  Armagh  in  1782.  The  last-named  appoint- 
ment he  held  until  1794,  when  he  returned  to  Exeter, 
his  native  city,  living  in  retirement  there  until  his 
death.     He  was  buried  in  S.  Paul's  Church. 

In  1774  Richard  Langdon  edited  Divine  Har- 
mony, a  Collection  in  Score  of  Psalms  and  Anthems. 
At  the  end  of  the  volume  are  twenty  chants  by 
various  composers,  all  given  anonymously.  The 
first,  a  double  in  F,  has  usually  been  considered  as 
Langdon's  own.  The  inner  parts  of  this  chant 
are  very  pleasing.  Langdon  wrote  two  services  in 
A  major,  one  of  which,  styled  a  "  Chanting  Service," 
is  modelled  on  those  by  James  Hawkins  and  Alphonso 
Ferrabosco,  alluded  to  in  a  previous  chapter.  Two 
of  his  anthems,  "  O  pray  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem  " 
and  "  Turn  Thee  unto  me,"  have  been  printed. 

His  grandfather,  Rev.  Tobias  Langdon,  was 
Prebendary  of  Bodmin,  and  Succentor,  Priest- Vicar, 
and  Magister  Puerorum  in  Exeter  Cathedral.  He 
was  the  composer  of  a  setting  of  the  Gloria  in 
Excelsis  in  B  minor,  for  use  at  the  choral  celebra- 
tions in  Exeter  Cathedral.*  He  likewise  set  the 
Ordination  hymn,  Veni  Creator.  Both  are  for 
boys'  voices,  with  organ  accompaniment,  and  both 
*  See  ante,  p.  342. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     345 

were  published  by  his  grandson  in  Divine  Harmony. 
The  present  writer  possesses  an  engraving  of  the 
Rev.  Tobias  Langdon,  "  done  from  a  drawing  in 
Ciaro  Oscura  of  Mr.  Nath  Tucker  :  by  Faber." 

On  the  pavement  of  the  south  tower  of  Exeter 
Cathedral  is  a  stone  with  this  inscription  : — 

Here  lie  ye  Reliques  of  ye  Rev.  Mr.  Tobias  Langdon, 
Master  of  Musick.  Priest  Vicar  and  Sub-chaunter  of  this 
Church,  and  Prebendary  of  Bodmyn  in  Cornwall,  "  He 
was  generally  beloved  by  those  y*  knew  him,  and  his  loss 
was  as  generally  lamented,  which  happened  on  the  14th  of 
Septemb1",  17 12." 

John  Alcock  is  a  musician  who,  by  reason  of 
priority  of  birth,  ought  to  have  been  mentioned 
before  Nares.  He  was  one  of  the  few  composers 
who  saw  the  need  of  making  an  effort  to  retain  the 
supremacy  of  old  English  Church  music,  by  avoid- 
ing the  fascination  of  ministering  to  a  passing 
popular  taste,  and  by  continuing  to  observe  the 
patterns  left  by  the  older  masters.  He  was  the 
link  between  the  old  world  and  the  new,  less  by 
reason  of  his  style  of  writing  than  by  the  musical 
memories  of  a  long  life. 

Alcock  was  born  in  London,  n  April,  171 5,  and 
admitted,  at  the  proper  age,  into  the  choir-school 
of  S.  Paul's  Cathedral.  In  the  preface  to  his  collec- 
tion of  anthems,  published  in  1 771,  he  tells  us  "  the 
late  Mr.  Daniel  Wright,  music-seller  in  Holborn, 
printed  a  song  of  mine,  with  my  name  to  it,  be- 
ginning '  Celinda,  when  I  view  that  face  '  (but  how 
he  got  it  I  never  could  learn),  that  I  composed  when 
I  was  a  chorister  in  S.  Paul's  Cathedral  under  the 
late  ingenious  Mr.  Charles  King,  Bachelor  of  Music, 


346     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

at  the  age  of  twelve  or  thirteen  years  at  most." 
While  still  in  the  choir  he  was  articled  to  John 
Stanley,  the  celebrated  blind  organist  of  S.  An- 
drew's, Holborn,  and  the  Temple  Church.  In  1737 
he  was  organist  of  S.  Andrew's,  Plymouth,  and  in 
1 741  of  S.  Laurence,  Reading.  In  1749  ne  succeeded 
George  Lamb  as  organist,  vicar  choral,  and  master 
of  the  choristers  of  Lichfield  Cathedral.  From 
1 761  to  1786  he  was  organist  of  Sutton  Coldfield 
Parish  Church,  and  from  1766  to  1790  of  S.  Editha's, 
Tamworth,  both  near  Lichfield.  He  suffered  from 
rheumatism,  brought  on  by  constant  attendance  in 
Lichfield  Cathedral,  then  in  a  very  damp  and 
neglected  condition,  and  resigned  the  appointment 
of  organist,  but  continued  to  be  a  vicar  choral 
until  his  death.  He  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  in 
Music  at  Oxford  in  1755,  and  six  years  later  pro- 
ceeded as  Doctor  in  the  same  faculty.  With  his 
other  appointments  he  appears  to  have  held  that 
of  private  organist  to  the  Earl  of  Donegal. 

Alcock  was  an  industrious  composer  and  editor, 
and  published  somewhat  extensively.  In  1753 
A  Morning  and  Evening  Service,  consisting  of  a  Te 
Deum,  Jubilate,  Kyrie  Eleison,  Nicene  Creed,  Mag- 
nificat, and  Nunc  Dimittis,  for  3,  4,  5,  and  6  voices, 
in  E  minor,  was  printed  (by  subscription)  for  him 
by  J.  Johnson  "  at  the  Harp  and  Crown  in  Cheap- 
side,"  and  dedicated  to  Dr.  Addenbrooke,  Dean  of 
Lichfield.  This  service,  written  while  Alcock  was 
in  his  teens,  seems  to  have  been  liberally  subscribed 
for  by  the  various  Cathedral  bodies  and  by  private 
individuals.  As  a  work  of  its  kind,  it  was  a  solitary 
instance  during  the  whole  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Nothing  similar  can  be  called  to  mind  until  the 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     347 

publication  of  the  service  of  Samuel  Wesley,  of  that 
of  his  son,  Samuel  Sebastian  Wesley,  and  of  that  of 
Sir  John  Rogers  during  the  first  half  of  the  last 
century. 

This  was  the  only  service  published  by  Alcock. 
The  music  library  of  Lichfield  Cathedral  contains 
the  manuscript  scores  of  three  additional  complete 
services  in  the  keys  of  A,  B^,  and  F,  with  an  Evening 
Service  in  C  and  a  Communion  Service  in  E^.  The 
B^  service  contains  a  setting  of  Bene 'die tus.  In  1771 
Alcock  published  A  Collection  of  Six  and  Twenty 
Select  Anthems  in  Score,  for  1,  2,  j,  4,  5,  6,  and  8 
Voices.  To  which  are  added  a  Burial  Service  for 
Four  Voices,  and  fart  of  the  last  Verse  of  the  150th 
Psalm,  in  Latin,  for  Eight  Voices  and  Instruments  in 
twenty-one  Parts. 

The  preface  to  this  collection  is  very  quaint  and 
amusing,  and  the  Doctor  airs  his  grievances  pretty 
freely.     He  says  : — 

'Tis  incredible  what  a  number  of  base  artifices  have 
been  practised  by  some  people  belonging  to  this  cathedral, 
in  order  to  prejudice  me  in  my  profession,  and  to  distress 
my  family  for  no  cause  whatever  :  Nay,  even  my  son,  as 
soon  as  ever  he  began  to  play  for  me,  was  turned  out  from 
being  a  chorister,  tho'  he  had  been  in  the  choir  but  two 
years,  and  his  voice  (which  was  a  very  useful  one),  not  the 
least  fallen  -,  when  many  of  the  lads  are  continued  in 
their  places  for  ten,  twelve,  or  fourteen  years,  and  long  after 
their  voices  are  broke ;  Also  tho'  he  always  officiated  for  me,  yet 
I  forfeited  the  same  money  when  I  went  out  of  town  as 
if  the  duty  had  been  totally  neglected ;  albeit  the  salary 
then  was  only  four  pounds  per  annum,  besides  the  Vicar's 
place,  and  there  was  much  more  duty  when  I  was  organist 
than  now,  being  obliged  always  to  play  a  voluntary  after 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayers,  even  in  the  severest  cold 


348     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

weather,  when,  very  often,  there  was  only  one  Vicar,  who 
read  the  service,  and  an  old  woman  at  church  beside  the 
choristers ;  which  not  only  brought,  but  fixed,  the  rheu- 
matism so  strongly  upon  me  that  I  am  seldom  free  from 
pain,  and  sometimes  confined  to  my  bed  for  eight  or  ten 
days  together,  tho'  I  never  had  the  least  complaint  of  that 
kind  until  then ;  and  nobody  can  live  more  regularly  than 
I  have  always  done,  as  every  one  of  my  acquaintance  can 
testify.  I  likewise  played  the  organ  all  Passion  Week 
(except  Good  Friday)  both  which  customs  have  ever  since 
been  discontinued.  All  the  time  I  was  organist,  which  was 
upwards  of  ten  years,  there  was  not  a  book  in  the  organ- 
loft  fit  for  use,  but  what  I  bought  or  wrote  myself  (for 
which  I  was  never  paid  one  halfpenny),  and  yet  there  have 
been  as  many  books  purchased  within  the  last  few  years,  as 
have  cost,  at  least,  thirty  guineas. 

In  another  part  of  the  preface  the  Doctor  thus 
laments  the  indifference  to  Church  music  then 
prevalent  : — 

It  is  not  to  be  greatly  wondered  at  that  there  are  no  more 
subscribers  to  these  Anthems,*  considering  how  much 
Cathedral  service  is,  at  present,  disregarded ;  for  few 
singing-men  care  to  be  at  the  trouble  of  practising  any 
thing  new ;  and  some  had  rather  sing  twenty  songs  at  a 
concert  etc.,  than  one  anthem  at  church,  and  I  have  also 
received  letters  from  several  organists,  which  mention  that 
their  Choir  Music  was  never  at  so  low  an  ebb. 

The  circumstances  under  which,  and  for  which, 
each  anthem  was  composed  are  detailed  in  the  same 
preface.  Apropos  of  the  seventh  anthem  ("  Where- 
withal shall  a  young  man "),  the  composer  re- 
marks : — 

[*  It  appears  by  the  subscription  list  prefixed  that  150  copies 
were  taken  up.] 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     349 

The  seventh  anthem  has  no  other  merit  than  its  short- 
ness, and  may  serve  in  a  cold,  frosty  morning,  by  way 
of  variety,  instead  of  "  O  praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  heathen," 
or  "Deliver  us,  O  Lord  our  God"  (Mr.  Batten);  "  O 
Lord,  grant  the  King  a  long  life,"  and  "Praise  the  Lord, 
O  my  soul "  (Dr.  Child) ;  "  Call  to  remembrance,"  or 
"Hide  not  Thou  Thy  face"  (Mr.  Farrant),  "I  will  arise" 
(Dr.  Creyghton),  and  such-like  anthems,  about  a  minute 
and  a  half  long,  which  are  much  used  at  some  cathedrals, 
even  in  summer. 

In  1 77 1  Alcock  also  published  a  fine  setting  of 
The  Miserere,  or  the  51st  Psalm  in  Latin,  for  4 
voices.  This,  he  suggested,  might  be  sung  without 
the  organ,  or  accompanied  by  a  bassoon  only. 

In  conjunction  with  his  son  John,*  Alcock  pub- 
lished Six  New  Anthems  for  2,  3,  and  4  voices,  with 
two  hautboys  and  a  bassoon,  and  figured  for  the  organ. 
His  Divine  Harmony,  or  a  Collection  of  Fifty-jive 
Double  and  Single  Chants,  has  already  been  noticed. 
The  two  last  chants  in  the  book  (single  ones)  he 
directs  "  may  be  accompanied  by  all  sorts  of  In- 
struments." 

Alcock  likewise  published  The  Harmony  of  Sion, 
a  collection  of  Psalms  (1802),  and  Harmonia  Festi,  a 
collection  of  canons,  cheerful  and  serious  glees,  and 
catches  by  various  composers,  for  4  and  5  voices 
(1791).     His  glee,  "  Hail,  ever  pleasing  solitude," 

*  John  Alcock,  junior,  was  born  in  1740.  From  1758  to  1768 
he  was  organist  of  S.  Mary  Magdalen  Parish  Church,  and  Master 
of  the  Song  School,  Newark-on-Trent.  From  1773  untii  his 
death,  30  March,  1 791,  he  was  organist  of  the  Parish  Church, 
Walsall.  He  took  the  degree  of  Mus.B.  at  Oxford.  The  well- 
known  double  chant  in  El?  is  his.  He  published  A  Collection  of 
Ant  hems  for  the  Three  Festivals  of  Christmas,  Easter,  and  Whitsuntide, 
with  a  Hymn  for  the  Nativity  and  a  Christmas  Carol  (C.  and  S. 
Thompson,  75  S.  Paul's  Churchyard). 


3So     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

gained  the  prize  medal  at  the  Catch  Club  in  1770. 
He  even  ventured  into  the  domains  of  literature, 
and  produced  a  novel,  "  The  Life  of  Miss  Fanny 
Brown."  His  "Ode  to  Flavia  "  was  printed  in  ^Ihe 
Gentleman* s  Magazine,  November,  1746. 

Alcock  died  at  his  house  in  the  Close,  Lichfield, 
in  1806,  and  was  buried  in  the  Cathedral  on  23 
February.  He  was  in  his  ninety-first  year.  There 
are  similar  cases  of  longevity  among  the  Vicars 
Choral  of  Lichfield.  James  Matthews,  to  whom 
there  is  a  tablet  on  the  western  wall  of  the  south 
transept,  held  office  for  fifty-two  years,  dying 
28  September,  1861,  aged  eighty-three.  John 
Bennett,  buried  in  the  West  Close,  was  Vicar  Choral 
for  forty-four  years,  and  died  23  February,  1862  ; 
while  Samuel  Spofforth  (brother  of  Reginald  Spof- 
forth,  the  glee  writer),  who  was  also  organist,  and 
who  lies  buried  in  the  grass  plot  south  of  the  Lady 
Chapel,  held  both  appointments  from  1807  until 
his  death  in  1864.  In  more  recent  times,  Samuel 
Pearsall,  a  noted  tenor  of  his  day,  who  died  in  July, 
1883,  was  Vicar  Choral  for  fifty-two  years. 

Edmund  Ayrton,  who  succeeded  Nares  as  Master 
of  the  Children  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  came  of  a  well- 
known  family  of  Ripon  musicians,  three  of  his  rela- 
tives in  succession  holding  the  post  of  Organist  to 
the  Cathedral  (then  known  as  the  Collegiate 
Church) *  between  1748  and  1822. 

Born  at  Ripon  in  1734,  and  baptized  in  the 
Collegiate  Church  on  19  November,  Edmund 
Ayrton  was  placed,  at  the  age  of  ten,  under  Nares, 
in  the  choir  of  York  Minster.    In  1754  he  succeeded 

*  The  See  was  not  established  until  1836. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     351 

William  Lee  as  organist  and  Rector  Chori  of  South- 
well Minster,  Nottinghamshire.  Ten  years  later  he 
removed  to  London  on  his  appointments  as  Gentle- 
man of  the  Chapel  Royal  and  Vicar  Choral  of 
S.  Paul's.  In  1780  he  became  a  lay  vicar  of  West- 
minster Abbey,  and  in  1783  Master  of  the  Children 
of  the  Chapel  Royal,  which  last  office  he  resigned 
in  1805  in  favour  of  John  Stafford  Smith. 

Ayrton  graduated  as  Doctor  in  Music  at  Cam- 
bridge in  1784,  and  four  years  later  was  admitted 
ad  eundem  gradum  at  Oxford.  He  died  22  May, 
1808,  at  24  James  Street,  Buckingham  Gate,  West- 
minster, a  large  house  with  a  garden  of  three  acres, 
which  had  the  reputation  of  being  haunted,  so  that 
he  occupied  it  at  a  low  rental.  The  ten  Children 
of  the  Chapel  Royal  were  wholly  maintained  with 
him  at  this  house.  He  was  buried  in  the  West 
Cloister  of  Westminster  Abbey. 

The  following  anecdote  is  related  of  Dr.  Ayrton 
and  King  George  III.  His  Majesty  had  a  strong 
presentiment  of  the  severe  malady  with  which,  in 
1788,  he  was  afflicted  some  time  before  it  came  to 
its  height.  Four  or  five  evenings  previous  to  his 
being  taken  ill,  after  a  private  concert  at  S.  James' 
Palace,  His  Majesty  went  up  to  Dr.  Ayrton,  and 
laying  his  hand  on  the  Doctor's  shoulder  with  his 
usual  benignity,  said  :  "  I  fear,  sir,  I  shall  not  long 
be  able  to  hear  music  :  it  seems  to  affect  my  head  : 
and  it  is  with  some  difficulty  I  bear  it."  Then, 
turning  round,  he  softly  ejaculated  :  "  Alas  !  the 
best  of  us  are  but  frail  mortals." 

A  portrait  of  Ayrton  by  Hoppner  depicts  him  in 
his  Doctor's  robes. 

Ayrton's    principal  composition    was    a    Festival 


352     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Anthem,  "  Begin  unto  my  God  with  timbrels," 
originally  written  as  his  degree  exercise.  It  was 
sung  at  S.  Paul's,  29  July,  1784,  the  day  of  General 
Thanksgiving  for  the  Peace  of  Paris,  and  was  sub- 
sequently printed  in  full  score.* 

Ayrton  wrote  two  complete  services,  in  C  major 
and  E^,  for  the  use  of  the  Chapel  Royal.  One  of 
his  short  full  anthems,  "  O  come,  let  us  worship," 
was  printed  in  the  festival  book  of  the  Church 
Choral  Associations  of  Hampshire,  and  sung  at  their 
meeting  in  Winchester  Cathedral,  6  June,  1878. 
Six  of  his  chants  were  printed  in  Vandernan's 
Divine  Harmony.  William  Ayrton,  his  son,  who 
married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Arnold,  was  from  181 3 
to  1826  critic  of  The  Morning  Chronicle,  and  from 
1837  to  1 85 1  that  of  The  Examiner.  From  1823  to 
1833  he  edited  The  Harmonic 'on,  in  which  the 
criticisms  were,  on  the  whole,  just,  reflecting  great 
credit  on  the  integrity  of  their  writers.  William 
Ayrton  also  edited  Sacred  Minstrelsy  (2  vols.,  1834-5) 
and  The  Musical  Library  (8  vols.,  1837),  two  useful 
collections  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music.  He 
died  in  1858. 

Another  talented  family  of  provincial  musicians 
was  that  of  the  Beckwiths  of  Norwich. 

John  Beckwith,  who  was  born  in  1728  and  died 
18  May,  1800,  was  a  lay  clerk  of  the  Cathedral. 
Some  thirty  anthems  of  his  composition  are  extant 

*  This  anthem  was  revived  in  all  its  completeness,  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  C.  H.  Moody,  the  Cathedral  organist,  at  a  special 
service  held  at  Ripon  on  19  July,  1906,  in  connection  with  the 
celebration  of  the  thousand  and  twentieth  anniversary  of  the  local 
charter  of  the  city's  incorporation. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD     353 

in  the  choir  books  at  Norwich,  and  Dr.  Mann, 
organist  of  King's  College,  Cambridge,  possesses  a 
score  book  containing  services  by  him  in  the  keys 
of  A,  B^,  C,  D,  and  E^,  all  unpublished.  His 
brother,  Edward  Beckwith,  born  2  June,  1734, 
was  a  lay  clerk  (16  October,  175 1)  and  Master  of 
the  Choristers  (18  November,  1759)  of  the  same 
Cathedral.  On  4  December,  1780,  he  was  appointed 
organist  of  the  church  of  S.  Peter  Mancroft.  He 
died  30  December,  1793.  Both  were  buried  in  the 
cloisters  of  Norwich  Cathedral. 

The  genius  of  the  family,  however,  was  John 
Christmas,*  son  of  Edward  Beckwith,  born  25  De- 
cember, 1750.  He  became  a  pupil  successively  of 
Doctors  William  and  Philip  Hayes,  and  was  assistant 
organist  to  them  at  Magdalen  College,  Oxford. 
On  16  January,  1794,  he  was  appointed  organist  of 
S.  Peter  Mancroft,  Norwich,  in  succession  to  his 
father.  He  accumulated  the  degrees  of  Mus.B.  and 
Mus.D.  at  Oxford  in  1803,  and  in  1808  succeeded 
John  Garlandt  as  organist  of  Norwich  Cathedral, 
having  been  for  some  years  previously  Master  of  the 
Choristers.  He  died  3  June,  1809,  and  was  buried 
in  S.  Peter,  Mancroft.  A  sympathetic  account  of 
his  last  days  will  be  found  in  T.  D.  Eaton's  Musical 
Criticism  and  Biography. 

Edward  Taylor,  Professor  of  Music  in  Gresham 

•  The  name  "  Christmas  "  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  register  of 
his  baptism.  It  was  probably  bestowed  upon  him  afterwards,  owing 
to  the  circumstance  of  his  having  been  born  on  Christmas  Day. 
He  certainly  never  used  it  in  any  of  his  publications. 

f  John  Garland  was  organist  of  Norwich  Cathedral  for  fifty- 
nine  years,  and  on  his  death,  I  March,  1808,  was  buried  under  the 
organ  screen.  He  set  the  Ordination  Hymn,  "  Come,  Holy 
Ghost,"  printed  in  Dr.  Bunnett's  Sacred  Harmony,  1865. 


354     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

College  (1837-63),  a  native  of  Norwich  and  a  pupil 
of  Dr.  Beckwith,  entertained  a  profound  reverence 
for  his  master,  both  as  a  composer  and  an  organist. 
He  was  frequently  heard  to  say  :  "  I  have  never 
heard  Doctor  Beckwith's  equal  upon  the  organ,  either 
in  this  country  or  in  Germany,  the  land  of  organs  ; 
neither  is  this  my  opinion  only,  but  that  of  every 
competent  judge  who  has  heard  him,  so  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  collect."  Dr.  Beckwith  would 
frequently  play  four  extempore  fugues  upon  the 
organ  at  the  Cathedral  and  at  S.  Peter  Mancroft  on 
a  Sunday.  "  His  playing,"  wrote  another  Norwich 
musician,  "  was  brilliancy  itself.  A  friend  or  a 
pupil  would  take  the  melody  of  some  fugue  subject 
to  S.  Peter's  Church  on  a  Sunday  afternoon,  put  it 
into  the  Doctor's  hand  during  the  sermon,  and  re- 
quest him  to  introduce  it  into  the  voluntary  playing 
the  people  out  of  church.  The  Doctor  would 
ponder  over  it  for  a  few  minutes,  take  an  enormous 
pinch  of  snuff,  and  then  say  that  he  would  see  what 
he  could  do  with  it.  When  he  had  given  out  the 
subject  and  replied  to  it  in  the  regular  way,  he 
would  treat  it,  if  possible,  by  inversion,  reversion, 
augmentation,  and  diminution,  carrying  it  through 
a  course  of  modulation  till  he  came  to  the  Knot, 
when  he  would  bring  the  replies  in  closer  and  closer, 
until  his  hearers  were  in  raptures  of  delight."  * 

About  1790  Beckwith  published,  at  dementi's, 
Six  Anthems  in  Score.  Only  one  of  these — "  The 
Lord  is  very  great  and  terrible  " — has  been  re- 
printed in  modern  times.  It  contains  many  passages 
of  great  beauty  and  grandeur,  and  displays,  in  the 

*  T.  D.  Eaton,  Musical  Criticism  and  Biography,  1872. 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    355 

final  chorus,  distinctly  Handelian  leanings.*  For 
Purcell,  too,  Beckwith  had  great  reverence.  He 
would  frequently  say  to  his  pupils  :  "  The  longer 
you  live,  and  the  more  you  study  Purcell,  the  more 
you  will  admire  his  music." 

The  manuscript  books  in  the  music  library  at 
Norwich  contain  some  ten  or  a  dozen  anthems  by 
Dr.  Beckwith,  one  of  which,  "  My  soul  is  weary," 
a  most  pathetic  composition,  has  been  printed  by 
Novello  under  the  editorship  of  Sir  George  Martin. 

In  1808  Beckwith  published  a  collection  of  chants 
for  the  daily  Psalms  under  the  title  of  The  First 
Verse  of  every  Psalm  of  David,  with  an  Antient  or 
Modern  Chant  in  Score,  adapted  as  much  as  possible 
to  the  sentiment  of  each  Psalm.  The  collection  con- 
tains many  compositions  by  Beckwith  himself. 
These  have  found  places  in  several  modern  chant 
books.  The  preface  is  devoted  to  an  historical 
account  of  chants  and  chanting,  and  suggests 
pointed  psalters. 

In  Beckwith's  time  every  minor  canon  at  Norwich 
was  a  singer,  and  gave  his  daily  attendance  and 
assistance  in  the  choir. 

"Well  do  I  remember"  (wrote  an  ear  witness)  "the 
delight  with  which  I  used  to  listen  to  the  service  in 
Norwich  Cathedral,  when  the  minor  canons,  eight  in 
number,  filed  off  to  their  stalls,  Precentor  Millard  at  their 
head,  whose  admirable  style  and  correct  taste  as  a  singer 
I  have  never  heard  surpassed ;  Browne's  majestic  tenor ; 
Whittingham's  sweet  alto,  and  Hansell's  sonorous  bass ; 
while  Walker's  silvery  tones  and  admirable  recitation 
found    their   way    into  every   corner    of   the   huge    build- 

*  There  is  an  autograph  score  of  this  anthem  in  the  Library  of  the 
Royal  College  of  Music,  with  accompaniments  for  an  orchestra. 


356     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

ing.  Vaughan*  was  then  first  boy,  who  acquired  his 
musical  knowledge  and  pure  style  under  his  master, 
Beckwith.  Frequently  it  would  happen  that  the  entire 
music  of  the  day  was  written  by  members  of  the  choir,  for 
Garland,  the  organist  (a  pupil  of  Greene)  was  a  composer 
of  no  mean  talent.  Beckwith,  then  master  of  the  boys, 
was  a  most  accomplished  extempore  player  on  the  organ, 
and  his  well-known  anthem,  '  The  Lord  is  very  great,' 
sufficiently  attests  his  talent  as  a  writer  for  the  Church,  and  of 
the    minor    canons    and    lay    clerks    four    had    produced 


Samuel  Wesley,  writing  to  his  mother  on  12 
October,  1814,  from  Dean's  Square,  Norwich, 
where  he  was  the  guest  of  the  Rev.  Ozias  T.  Linley, 
one  of  the  minor  canons,  says  :  "  I  have  played  the 
choir-service  at  the  Cathedral  three  times,  at  the 
special  request  of  all  the  clergy.  The  singing  minor 
canons  are  delighted  at  my  steady  manner  of  ac- 
companying them,  and  say  they  know  not  how  to 
consent  to  my  leaving  the  city." 

The  miserable  Cathedral  Act  of  1840  crippled  this 
fine  choir  by  reducing  the  number  of  minor  canons 
from  eight  to  three. 

Dr.  Beckwith  was  succeeded  in  both  his  organist- 
ships  by  his  son  John  Beckwith,  who  wrote  an  in- 
teresting account  of  his  father's  last  days,  afterwards 
printed  by  Mr.  T.  D.  Eaton  in  his  Musical  Criticism 
and  Biography  (1872).  John  Beckwith,  who  re- 
sembled his  father  in  his  fine  organ  playing,  died 

[*  Thomas  Vaughan,  afterwards  a  celebrated  tenor.  In  1799 
he  was  lay  clerk  of  S.  George's  Chapel,  Windsor,  in  1803  a 
Gentleman  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  in  1817  Vicar  Choral  of 
S.  Paul's  and  Lay  Vicar  of  Westminster.  He  died  4.  January,  1 843, 
and  was  buried  in  the  West  Cloister  of  Westminster  Abbey,  with 
full  choral  service. — J.  S.  B.l 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    357 

19  October,  18 19,  and  was  buried  under  the  organ 
in  S.  Peter  Mancroft,  then  standing  on  a  loft  at  the 
west  end  of  the  church. 

Edward  James  Beckwith,  younger  brother  of 
Dr.  Beckwith,  was  admitted  a  chorister  of  Magdalen 
College,  Oxford,  22  October,  1779.  On  27  January, 
1787,  he  was  admitted  an  academical  clerk  of  the 
same  college,  and  in  1792  became  Chanter  and  one 
of  the  ten  chaplains  of  New  College.*  In  1797  he 
was  appointed  to  the  nth  Minor  Canonry  in 
S.  Paul's  Cathedral,  and  on  the  death  of  the  Rev. 
Weldon  Champneys  in  18 10  received  the  Suc- 
centorship.  He  was  presented  to  the  chapter  living 
of  S.  Alban's,  Wood  Street,  in  1800,  and  to  that  of 
Tillingham,  in  the  same  gift,  in  181 5.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  Priests  in  Ordinary  of  the  Chapel  Royal. 
He  died  7  January,  1833,  an(^  was  buried  in  the 
crypt  of  S.  Paul's  Cathedral.  His  compositions 
consisted  chiefly  of  chants,  some  of  which  are  still 
sung.  He  contributed  some  chants  and  a  setting  of 
the  Sanctus  and  Kyrie  Eleison  to  a  collection,  Chants, 
Sanctuses,  and  Responses  to  the  Commandments  as  used 
at  S.  Paul's  Cathedral  and  W estminster  Abbey, 
selected  from  Ancient  and  Modern  Composers,  pub- 
lished by  William  Hawes,  of  S.  Paul's  and  the 
Chapel  Royal,  in  periodical  numbers,  between  1830 
and  1833. 

His  son,  Edward  George  Ambrose  Beckwith, 
who  contributed  to  the  same  collection  and  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  Succentorship  of  S.  Paul's,  was 

*  At  this  time,  and  until  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  the 
choir  of  New  College  was  composed  of  10  chaplains,  3  bible  (or 
lay)  clerks,  and  16  choristers. 


358     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

an  academical  clerk  at  Magdalen  College,  Oxford, 
in  1 815.  From  24  June,  1820,  until  7  May,  1821, 
he  was  Chaplain  of  Bromley  College,  Kent,  founded 
in  1666  by  John  Warner,  Bishop  of  Rochester,  "  for 
the  residence  and  support  of  twenty  widows  of  loyal 
and  orthodox  clergymen."  In  1825  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  minor  canonries  in  Westminster  Abbey 
and  S.  Paul's  Cathedral,  and  ten  years  later  was 
presented  by  the  Chapter  of  the  latter  to  the  living 
of  S.  Michael,  Bassishaw,  a  city  church,  now  taken 
down  and  its  parish  united  with  that  of  S.  Lawrence, 
Jewry.  The  Rev.  E.  G.  Beckwith  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1856,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  Succentorship 
of  S.  Paul's  by  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Fynes  Webber.  His 
son,  George  Beckwith,  was  a  minor  canon  of  Win- 
chester Cathedral  and  a  chaplain  of  the  college  in 
i860. 

Thomas  Ebdon  has  some  claim  to  notice  as  the 
composer  of  Church  music  still  in  use.  He  was 
born  at  Durham  in  1738,  and  became  a  chorister  in 
the  Cathedral  under  James  Heseltine  (a  pupil  of 
Blow),  whom  he  succeeded  in  the  organistship  in 
1763.  His  name  may  still  be  seen,  carved  when  a 
chorister,  on  one  of  Bishop  Cosin's  oak  screens  sepa- 
rating the  choir  from  the  north  aisle  at  Durham. 

Ebdon  published  two  collections  of  his  ecclesi- 
astical compositions — one  in  1790,  Sacred  Music, 
composed  for  the  Use  of  the  Choir  of  Durham,  con- 
taining a  Morning,  Communion,  and  Evening 
Service  in  C,  six  anthems,  a  set  of  Preces  and  Re- 
sponses, and  five  chants;  the  other  in  1810,  A 
Second  Volume  of  Sacred  Music  in  Score,  containing 
sixteen  anthems,  two  settings  of  the]  Kyrie  Eleison, 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN  PERIOD    359 

and  six  chants.  The  Service  in  C,  originally  written 
in  1765,  includes,  as  well  as  the  Morning  and  Even- 
ing Canticles,  a  complete  setting  of  the  Office  of 
Holy  Communion,  viz.  Kyrie,  Credo,  Sanctus,  and 
Gloria  in  Excelsis.  A  full  choral  Celebration  has 
always  been  the  rule  at  Durham  on  the  first  Sunday 
of  every  month.  Hence  the  object  of  Ebdon's  set- 
ting.* The  Magnificat  and  Nunc  Dimittis  from  the 
Evening  Service  are  still  popular  in  many  quarters, 
though  by  no  means  specimens  of  the  highest  form 
of  art.  Some  of  the  verse  parts  in  the  Te  Deum  are 
remarkably  well  constructed,  and  by  no  means  lack 
expression.  In  his  anthems  Ebdon's  principal  aim 
seems  to  have  been  the  production  of  simple  and 
pleasing  melodies,  with  natural  and  appropriate  har- 
monies, and,  like  Kent,  he  appears  to  have  succeeded 
in  his  object.  Of  the  two-and-twenty  anthems 
published  by  Ebdon,  one  only — "  Praised  be  the 
Lord  daily  " — has  been  reprinted  in  modern  times. 

*  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  cope  was  worn  at  the  Altar  by 
the  Dean  and  Prebendaries  of  Durham  until  quite  late  in  the  last 
century.  It  is  unnecessary  to  point  out  that  the  vestments  were 
worn  in  England  long  after  the  Reformation,  and  that  in  fact  until 
long  after  that  date  they  were  worn  as  a  matter  of  course.  The 
copes  in  the  Cathedral  of  Durham  were  so  worn  until  they  were  so 
worn  out  as  to  be  unfit  for  use,  and  they  appear  to  have  been  given 
up  solely  on  this  ground,  unless,  indeed,  a  story  given  in  the  Quar- 
terly Review  for  1825  be  true  (as  it  possibly  is).  It  seems  that  the 
writer  of  the  article,  when  on  a  visit  to  Durham  Cathedral,  asked 
the  verger  why  the  copes  which  he  was  inspecting  in  the  Library  were 
disused.  That  functionary  replied :  "  It  happened  in  my  time. 
Did  you  ever  hear  of  Doctor  Warburton,  sir  ?  A  very  hot  man 
he  was,  sir  !  we  could  never  please  him  putting  on  his  robes.  The 
stiff  high  collar  of  his  cope  used  to  ruffle  his  full-bottomed  wig, 
till,  one  day,  he  threw  the  robe  off,  and,  in  a  great  passion,  said  he 
would  never  wear  it  again,  and  he  never  did  :  and  the  other  gentle- 
men soon  left  off  theirs  too." 


360     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Ebdon  published  in  1780  Two  Sonatas  for  the 
Harpsichord  and  A  Collection  of  Six  Glees.  He  left 
many  anthems  in  manuscript,  the  last  bearing  date 
June,  181 1.  He  died  at  his  house  in  the  South 
Bailey,  Durham,  on  23  September,  181 1,  in  his 
seventy-third  year,  and  was  buried  in  the  church- 
yard of  S.  Oswald.  His  son,  Thomas  Ebdon,  was 
Minor  Canon  and  Sacrist  of  Durham  Cathedral 
from  1 81 2  until  his  resignation  in  1849. 

Before  closing  this  lengthy  chapter  John  Page 
must  not  be  overlooked,  for  he  was  the  compiler  of 
a  collection  of  anthems  to  which  allusion  has  con- 
stantly been  made.  This  was  the  Harmonia  Sacra, 
the  largest  and  most  important  collection,  consisting 
exclusively  of  anthems,  ever  made  in  this  country. 
This  publication  made  its  appearance  in  ninety 
numbers,  which  on  their  completion  in  January, 
1800,  formed  three  folio  volumes.  The  engraving 
was  in  vocal  score,  with  figured  basses  for  the  organ. 

As  a  supplement  to  the  Cathedral  Music  of  Boyce 
and  Arnold  this  collection  is  valuable  and  useful, 
the  seventy-five  anthems  by  composers  of  the  six- 
teenth, seventeenth,  and  eighteenth  centuries  which 
it  contains  being  apportioned  thus  :  Aldrich  (2 
anthems),  Arnold  (1),  Attwood  (1),  Baildon  (1), 
Banks  (1),  Battishill  (4),  Blake  (1),  Blow  (1),  Boyce 
(3),  Busby  (1),  Clark  (4),  Croft  (7),  Dupuis  (2), 
Farrant  (1),  Goldwin  (2),  Greene  (7),  Handel  (6), 
Henley  (1),  Hine  (2),  Holmes  (1),  Kent  (2),  King 
(4),  Linley  (1),  Marcello  (1),  Marenzio*  (1),  Marsh 

*  This  composition  by  Luca  Marenzio — a  distinct  gain  to  the 
collection — is  a  full  anthem  for  four  voices  beginning,  "  Save,  Lord, 
hear  us."     It  was   adapted  to  these  words   from   his   madrigal, 


THE  LATER  GEORGIAN   PERIOD    361 

(1),  Mason  (1),  Nares  (1),  Purcell  (3),  Reynolds  (1), 
Richardson  (1),  Rogers  (1),  Stroud  (1),  Travers  (1), 
Tucker  (1),  Tye  (1),  Weldon  (1),  C.  Wesley  (1), 
S.  Wesley  (1),  Wood  (1).  Page,  who  was  one  of  the 
vicars  choral  of  S.  Paul's  from  1802  until  his  death 
in  1 81 2,  dedicated  his  compilation  to  the  Princess 
Augusta,  second  daughter  of  George  III.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  no  edition  of  the  Harmonia  Sacra 
has  appeared  in  modern  times  similar  to  those  of 
Boyce  and  Arnold  by  Novello,  Warren,  and  Rim- 
bault.  The  last-named  once  notified  his  intention 
of  bringing  one  out,  but  he  does  not  appear  to  have 
accomplished  his  design. 

Several  compositions  by  writers  living  when  Page 
was  at  work  made  their  first  appearance  in  his  col- 
lection. Among  such  may  be  specified  Attwood's 
"  Teach  me,  O  Lord,"  S.  Wesley's  "  I  said  I  will 
take  heed,"  C.  Wesley's  "  My  soul  hath  patiently 
tarried,"  Busby's  "  O  God,  Thou  art  my  God," 
and  Banks'  "  O  Lord,  grant  the  King  a  long  life." 

Dr.  Arnold's  Palm  Sunday  anthem,  "  Who  is  this 
that  cometh  from  Edom  ?  "  though  not  expressly 
written  for  Page,  was  for  the  first  time  printed  in 
his  collection.  Several  anthems  by  Croft  and 
Greene,  not  included  by  those  composers  in  their 

"  Dissi  Atamata  "  (Englished  as  "  Lady,  see  on  every  side  "),  by 
Thomas  Bever,  ll.d.,  a  great  amateur  of  music  and  one  of 
the  original  members  of  the  Glee  Club.  Dr.  Bever,  who  was 
Fellow  of  All  Souls'  College,  Oxford,  Commissioner  to  the  Dean 
and  Chapter  of  Westminster,  the  King's  Advocate  in  the  Ad- 
miralty, etc.,  had  in  his  rooms  at  Doctors'  Commons  a  fine  library 
of  manuscript  music.  He  died  in  1791,  and  in  1798  his  library 
was  sold  by  auction.  Volumes  from  it,  in  the  handwriting  of  his 
copyist,  Didsbury,  are  to  be  found  in  the  music  libraries  at  Oxford, 
Cambridge,  etc.,  and  may  sometimes  be  met  with  in  sales. 


362     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

volumes  of  1724  and  1743,  were  first  printed  by 
Page.  One  by  Greene,  "  Bow  down  Thine  ear," 
a  magnificent  specimen  of  six-part  writing  in  the 
key  of  G  minor,  is  especially  worthy  of  a  reprint 
in  these  days  of  frequently  unaccompanied  services. 
In  the  subscription  list  prefixed  to  the  first  volume 
the  name  of  only  one  Dean  and  Chapter  occurs, 
that  of  Durham.  They  took  nine  sets.  The  rest 
of  the  names  are  those  of  private  individuals,  in- 
cluding a  good  many  clergymen,  amongst  whom 
we  find  several  of  the  minor  canons  of  S.  Paul's — 
Revs.  E.  J.  Beckwith,  Weldon  Champneys  (Sub-dean 
and  Succentor),  William  Clark,  John  Pridden, 
Richard  Webb,  and  Dr.  Henry  Fly. 


CHAPTER   XI 

CATHEDRAL    MUSIC    AND    ITS    COMPOSERS    DURING    THE 
FIRST    HALF    OF   THE    NINETEENTH    CENTURY 

The  later  Georgian  era  was  not  favourable  to  the 
cultivation  of  ecclesiastical  Art  in  any  shape  or  form. 
This  was  especially  so  with  regard  to  music.  Yet, 
notwithstanding  the  general  apathy  of  the  period, 
the  organists  and  composers  attached  to  our  cathe- 
drals, college  chapels,  and  Chapels  Royal  continued 
to  perform  the  duties  of  their  various  offices  with 
laudable  zeal,  as  many  of  their  works  testify  ;  but 
for  want  of  that  encouragement  which  was  once 
given  by  Deans  and  Chapters,  when  they  were  com- 
paratively poor,  to  composers  for  the  Church,  but 
withheld  when  those  reverend  bodies  became  rich, 
this,  the  highest  branch  of  musical  art,  stood  still 
during  the  general  advance  in  our  country  of  music 
for  the  concert-room  and  chamber,  and  particularly 
during  the  period  of  that  charming  form  of  com- 
position peculiar  to  England — the  Glee. 

Consequently,  many  very  deserving  pieces  of 
service  and  anthem  music  remained  in  manuscript, 
for  the  risk  incurred  in  publishing  sacred  composi- 
tion at  this  particular  period,  except  by  subscription, 
was  great.  We  have  previously  seen  how  Boyce  and 
Arnold  had  to  complain  of  the  want  of  patronage. 

363 


364     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Even  the  transcription  of  vocal  parts  from  the  score 
into  the  manuscript  books  of  our  cathedrals  was  an 
expensive  affair,  the  cost,  as  a  rule,  having  to  come 
out  of  the  composer's  pocket  when  his  work  was 
done.  In  this  way  much  excellent  Church  music 
written  during  the  first  thirty  or  forty  years  of  the 
last  century  remained  in  the  composer's  possession. 
This  was  especially  the  case  with  Thomas  Attwood, 
organist  of  the  Chapel  Royal  and  S.  Paul's  Cathe- 
dral. With  a  few  exceptions,  his  services  and 
anthems  remained  unpublished  and  comparatively 
unknown  until,  after  his  death  in  1838,  they  were 
printed  by  subscription. 

So  indifferent  were  the  capitular  bodies  to  the 
encouragement  of  Church  music  that  only  three — 
those  of  S.  Paul's,  Westminster,  and  Durham — could 
be  found  to  subscribe  to  Vincent  Novello's  four- 
volume  edition  of  Purcell's  sacred  works  ;  while  to 
the  fine  Morning  and  Evening  Service  in  F,  pub- 
lished in  1823  by  Samuel  Wesley,  one  Cathedral 
chapter  only — that  of  Exeter — subscribed,  and  this, 
it  appears,  was  solely  owing  to  the  good  offices  of  a 
member  of  their  college  of  Friest  Vicars  Choral,  the 
Rev.  George  Maximilian  Slatter,  who  had  been 
Samuel  Wesley's  pupil. 

Much  of  the  Church  music  produced  by  the 
minor  lights  of  this  period — imitators  of  the  feeble 
prettinesses  of  such  composers  as  Kent  and  Ebdon — 
was,  as  may  naturally  be  supposed,  but  mediocre. 
They  felt  compelled  to  conform  to  the  popular 
taste.  The  best  music  in  use  was  that  which  was 
supplied  from  the  stores  of  the  past.  The  com- 
posers of  the  then  present  who  had  the  power  of 
commanding  an  introduction   to  their  works   ex- 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19™  CENTURY     365 

hibited  in  them,  in  addition  to  the  above-mentioned 
characteristics,  a  large  acquaintance  with  the  works 
of  Handel  and  excellent  memories  which  supplied 
the  place  of  invention.  Others,  again,  feeling  un- 
equal to  writing  original  music  for  their  choirs,  had 
recourse  to  adaptations  from^foreign  sources.  Some 
of  these  were  open  to  very  grave  objection.  Allu- 
sion is  made  more  particularly  to  those  of  Thomas 
Pitt  from  the  works  of  Handel.  Pitt  was  organist 
of  Worcester  Cathedral  from  1793  to  1806,  and 
those  who  have  never  come  across  his  two  folio 
volumes  of  Church  music,  published  in  1789,  may 
like  to  have  the  following  curious  extract  from  his 
preface.  Alluding  to  the  excerpts  from  Handel,  he 
says  : — 

".Great  care  hath  been  taken  in  the  selection  of 
the  Words,  and  where  the  beauties  of  the  Music 
would  allow,  I  have  endeavoured  to  obviate  any 
objection  which  might  arise  from  prolixity.  In  this 
volume  there  are  fifteen  hundred  and  forty-two  bars 
short  of  the  original." 

The  shameless  creature  boasts  of  his  sacrilegious 
deeds  with  the  utmost  self-complacency.  Two 
examples  of  his  mutilations  from  The  Messiah  will 
suffice.  Handel  gave  us  "  Rejoice  greatly  "  with 
108  bars ;  Pitt  reduces  it  to  52,  cutting  down  the  8 
bars  of  symphony  to  2.  "  For  unto  us  a  Child  is 
born,"  as  it  left  the  composer,  had  99  bars.  Pitt 
reduces  it  to  70,  omitting  the  6  bars  of  symphony 
altogether.  In  many  old  word-books  of  anthems 
may  be  seen,  attached  to  these  selections,  or  rather 
mutilations,  "  Pitt  from  Handel." 

Hugh  Bond,  of  Exeter,  was  another  Handel  de- 
spoiler,  and  a  mutilated  edition  of  the  Chandos 
2  B 


366     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

Anthems  was  published  by  John  Page  of  S.  Paul's, 
and  William  Sexton,  organist  of  S.  George's  Chapel, 
Windsor.  Indeed,  it  was  only  in  this  way  that 
Handel's  music  was,  at  one  time,  admitted  into  our 
cathedrals. 

Less  open  to  objection  were  the  arrangements  of 
another  adapter,  John  Pratt,  who,  from  1799  to 
1855,  was  organist  of  King's  College,  Cambridge. 
He  published  two  volumes  of  anthems  arranged 
from  the  oratorios  of  Handel,  Haydn,  Graun,  and 
Beethoven,  and  from  the  masses  and  motetts  of 
Carissimi,  Clari,  Jomelli,  Leal,  Leo,  Mozart,  Perez, 
Rego,  and  Novello.  It  is  but  fair  to  state  that  in 
fitting  his  words  to  the  various  foreign  compositions 
Pratt  did  not  alter  or  mutilate  the  original  text  as 
was  done  by  Bond  and  Pitt.  Even  now  several  of 
his  arrangements  are  popular,  such  as  that  begin- 
ning "  Plead  Thou  my  cause "  from  Mozart's 
Twelfth  Mass  (or  is  it  Eybler's  ?).  Pratt  having  set 
the  fashion  at  Cambridge,  his  example  was  followed 
there  by  Samuel  Matthews,  his  contemporary  as 
organist  of  Trinity  and  S.  John's  Colleges  ;  and 
later  on  Professor  Walmisley,  Matthews'  successor 
at  both  places,  adapted,  to  English  words,  move- 
ments from  the  masses  of  Hummel  for  use  as  an- 
thems. Other  adapters,  of  a  superior  order,  were 
Dr.  Camidge,  organist  of  York  Minster  ;  Arthur 
Thomas  Corfe,  organist  of  Salisbury  ;  and  the  Rev. 
Peter  Penson,  Precentor  of  Durham. 

In  spite  of  the  weaknesses  of  this  epoch,  there 
were  composers  at  work  endeavouring  to  keep  the 
torch  of  true  Church  music  alive.  It  is  absurd  to 
assert,  as  many  writers  on  Church  music  have  done, 
that  with  Boyce  departed  the  glory  of  the  English 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     367 

Cathedral  school.  We  have  seen  in  the  previous 
chapter  how  ably  his  work  was  carried  on  by  such 
men  as  Dupuis,  Cooke,  Arnold,  Ayrton,  Alcock, 
Battishill,  and  Beckwith.  Then  we  shall  find  that 
this  good  work  was  well  sustained  by  several  who, 
as  young  men,  were  contemporaneous  with  them, 
such  as  John  Clarke  Whitfeld,  Samuel  Wesley,  John 
Stafford  Smith,  Thomas  Attwood,  Dr.  Joseph  Pring, 
and  Dr.  William  Crotch. 

During  the  "  thirties  "  of  the  last  century,  in 
order  to  encourage  and  stimulate  a  new  generation 
of  Church  musicians  then  springing  up,  a  prize 
medal  of  five  pounds  value  was  offered  for  the  com- 
position of  services  and  anthems  in  what  Dr.  Crotch 
called  "  the  true  sublime  style,"  the  words  to  be 
selected  from  the  Canonical  Scriptures  and  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer.  The  "  true  sublime  style  "  was 
considered  by  Crotch  to  end  with  the  period  of 
Byrd  and  Gibbons. 

The  donor  of  this  prize,  called  "  The  Gresham 
Prize,"  was  Miss  Maria  Hackett,  a  wealthy  city  lady 
(then  resident  in  Crosby  Square,  Bishopsgate  Street), 
distinguished  not  only  by  her  learning  and  by  her 
taste  in  literature,  archaeology,  and  music,  but  also 
by  her  disinterested  efforts  in  the  cause  of  the 
amelioration,  in  the  education  and  condition,  of  the 
plundered  chorister  boys  of  S.  Paul's  and  the  other 
cathedrals  all  over  England.* 

*  This  amiable  and  patriotic  lady  died  at  the  age  of  91, 
5  November,  1874,  whilst  receiving  the  Blessed  Sacrament  at  the 
hands  of  the  Rev.  W.  J.  Hall,  one  of  the  minor  canons  of 
S.  Paul's,  for  which  Cathedral  she  had  so  remarkable  a  devotion, 
and  whose  services  she  regularly  attended  for  over  seventy  years. 
Miss  Hackett  spent  almost  the  whole  of  her  long  life   and   the 


368     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

This  competition  resulted  in  the  production  of 
some  scholarly  and  coldly  classical  compositions, 
totally  wanting  (except  in  the  case  of  two  or  three) 
in  interest,  originality,  or  inspiration.  The  con- 
ditions laid  down  by  the  prize,  with  regard  to  style, 
were  too  binding  to  allow  any  of  the  competitors 
doing  themselves  full  justice.  Several  were  men 
who  could  do,  and  afterwards  did,  far  better  work 
when  unfettered  by  such  restrictions.  Altogether 
the  prize  failed  to  bring  out  what  would  then  have 
been  the  true  and  natural  form  of  Church  com- 
position, and  the  result  was  little  more  than  a  series 
of  highly  respectable  pieces  of  "  sham  old  music." 

People  who  compete  for  musical  prizes  do  not, 
as  a  rule,  produce  spontaneous  composition.  The 
present  writer  well  remembers  talking  over  the 
matter  once  with  the  late  Sir  John  Stainer.  "  Ah, 
yes,"  said  Sir  John,  "  it  is  like  a  man  who  is  asked 
to  write  an  exercise  for  his  musical  degree  ;  he  feels 
it  a  horrible  bore,  opens  a  book  of  words,  and  sits 
down  and  writes  what  is  absolutely  dry  and  un- 
interesting as  a  whole." 

greater  part  of  her  substance  in  inquiring  into  the  education, 
and  generally  ameliorating  the  condition  of  Cathedral  choir  boys  in 
England  and  Wales.  Once  in  every  three  years  she  paid  a  visit  to 
each  cathedral  for  this  purpose.  Her  exertions  deserve  the  highest 
praise,  for  not  only  is  her  Brief  Account  of  Cathedral  and 
Collegiate  Schools  one  of  the  greatest  interest  and  research,  but  her 
personal  applications  to  those  authorities  who  regulated  the  choirs 
throughout  the  kingdom  were,  under  every  disappointment  and 
discouragement,  as  zealous  and  unwearied  as  the  cause  demanded. 
The  present  writer  has  dealt  at  considerable  length  with  the  life  and 
labours  of  Miss  Hackett  in  his  Organists  and  Composers  of  S.  Paul's 
Cathedral  (1891),  and  in  his  History  of  the  Choristers1  School  of 
S.  Taul's,  contributed  to  Musical  News,  between  November,  1903, 
and  May,  1904. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY     369 

At  these  competitions  the  umpires  selected  by 
Miss  Hackett  to  adjudge  on  the  various  composi- 
tions sent  in  were  Dr.  Crotch,  William  Horsley, 
and  R.  J.  S.  Stevens.  Crotch,  in  his  lectures  on 
"  Music,"  traced  its  history  as  if  analogous  to  the 
arts  of  painting  and  architecture.  Other  arts,  he 
argued,  reached  a  culminating  point  of  excellence 
and  then  went  into  decadence.  As  a  sequel,  his 
students  were  advised  to  imitate  the  composition  of 
the  so-called  "  best  period  "  of  style.  Sir  John 
Stainer,  lecturing  before  the  Musical  Association  in 
1889,  observed  :  "  I  know  no  more  sad  example  of 
the  fallacy  of  the  argument  by  analogy  than  this 
creed  of  Crotch — that  music  had  seen  its  best  days. 
We  musicians  are  not  yet  called  upon  to  retrace  our 
steps,  for  our  many-sided  and  wonderful  art  seems 
again  and  again  to  burst  out  afresh,  and  find  new 
room  for  vigorous  growth.  Of  course,  imitation  of 
the  past  in  music  is  a  necessary  process  of  pupilage  ; 
but  to  look  upon  it  as  an  end  in  itself  is  surely  de- 
structive to  all  progress  and  expression." 

Crotch  forgot  that,  from  time  to  time,  there  is 
necessarily  a  total  change  in  the  whole  fashion  of 
music — ecclesiastical  and  secular — as  in  that  of  the 
other  arts.  If  it  were  merely  imitation  and  de- 
pended on  models,  there  would  be  an  end  to  all 
progress.  In  the  composition  of  Church  music 
intense  feeling  and  pure  inspiration  must  take  the 
precedence  of  schoolboy  imitation.  Mere  copyism 
— especially  when  pedantry  is  unduly  indulged  in — 
becomes  the  curse  of  art. 

In  a  letter  written  by  Dr.  Crotch  to  Miss 
Hackett  on  4  March,  1833,  relative  to  some 
of     the     compositions    he    was    then    examining, 


370     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

occurs  this  extraordinary,  not  to  say  ridiculous, 
passage  : — 

"The  introduction  of  novelty,  variety,  contrast, 
expression,  originality,  etc.,  is  the  very  cause  of  the 
decay  so  long  apparent  in  our  Church  music." 

Such  views  would  now  be  regarded  as  simply 
those  of  a  madman.  One  of  the  manuscripts  then 
just  rejected  by  the  grim  old  Oxford  Professor 
was  S.  S.  Wesley's  anthem,  "  The  Wilderness." 
He  expressed  his  dislike  of  the  whole  design  of  that 
immortal  composition  by  drawing  on  the  copy,  in 
characteristic  fashion,  the  portrait  of  a  chorister  boy 
with  his  face  distorted  with  agony  in  the  effort  to 
reach  the  high  A  in  the  concluding  verse,  "  And 
sorrow  and  sighing." 

Again,  his  brother  umpire,  R.  J.  S.  Stevens,  the 
Gresham  Professor,  a  totally  incompetent  judge  of 
Church  music,  remarked  in  a  letter  to  the  same  lady, 
30  November,  1833  :  "  One  copy  is  written  so  close 
that  I  have  had  much  trouble  in  understanding  it. 
It  is  a  clever  thing,  but  not  Cathedral  music  ('  The 
Wilderness  ')."  Posterity  has  verily  reversed  the 
judgment  of  these  experts. 

One  has  only  to  read  Crotch's  Lectures  to  see  how 
narrow  were  his  views  on  the  subject  of  Church 
music.  As  with  music,  so  with  the  sister  arts — 
painting,  architecture,  sculpture,  and,  we  may  add, 
literature.  What,  indeed,  would  they  be  without 
novelty,  variety,  contrast,  or  originality  ? 

Wesley  never  forgot  his  disappointment  in  the 
rejection  of  his  "  Wilderness  "  in  1833,  and  later  on 
had  his  revenge.  In  the  preface  (recently  reprinted 
in^The  Musical  Times)  to  the  original  edition  of  his 
Service  in  E  occurs  this  sarcastic  footnote  : — 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY     371 

"  In  London,  a  lady  annually  awards  a  gold  medal, 
value  .£5,  for  the  encouragement  of  the  true  Church 
School.  This  donation,  which  is  called  the  Gresham 
Prize,  has  existed  some  years,  and  even  now,  it  is 
believed,  composition  has  not  fallen  into  such  perfect 
disrepute,  but  that  some  few,  amongst  the  earliest 
beginners  in  musical  composition,  are  observed  to 
make  their  first  essay,  with  a  view  towards  publica- 
tion, in  this  direction." 

In  the  Musical  World  of  22  and  29  July,  1836, 
will  be  found  two  lengthy  articles  on  the  "  Gresham 
Prize "  from  the  trenchant  pen  of  Henry  John 
Gauntlett,  the  then  editor.  They  are  highly  de- 
serving of  perusal.  Instead  of  slavishly  imitating 
what  Crotch,  Horsley,  and  Stevens  called  the  "  true 
sublime  style,"  ending,  as  they  averred,  with  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  Gauntlett 
pointed  out  that  our  then  young  and  rising  Church 
composers  should  have  been  encouraged  to  write  in 
one  of  the  following  :  (1)  That  adopted  by  Samuel 
Wesley,  and  carried  out  on  the  same  principles  that 
led  to  the  changes  eifected  by  Gibbons,  Purcell, 
Croft,  Greene,  Boyce,  and  Battishill ;  (2)  that 
employed  by  Attwood  and  Vincent  Novello,  who, 
like  Wesley,  recognized  the  principles  laid  down  and 
practised  by  the  great  names  just  referred  to,  but 
who  applied  them  in  a  more  dramatic  manner  ;  and 
(3)  the  style  then  as  yet  in  its  infancy,  founded  on 
a  union  of  Purcell,  Bach,  and  Beethoven,  of  which 
Samuel  Sebastian  Wesley  may  be  said  to  have  been 
the  inventor.  But  they  certainly  were  not  recom- 
mended to  try  "  the  true  sublime  "  style  of  which 
Crotch  and  Horsley  were  pre-eminently  the  corner- 
stones. 


372     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

The  four  most  prominent  Church  composers  who 
flourished  during  the  first  eight-and-thirty  years  of 
the  last  century  were  John  Clarke  Whitfeld,  John 
Stafford  Smith,  Samuel  Wesley,  and  Thomas 
Attwood. 

John  Clarke,  afterwards  known  as  John  Clarke 
Whitfeld,  was  born  at  Gloucester,  13  December, 
1770.  It  is  said  that  his  early  fondness  for  music 
induced  him  to  resign  a  legacy  from  his  grand- 
mother to  educate  him  "  for  any  other  profession." 
However,  he  managed  to  get  to  Oxford,  and  became 
a  pupil  of  Dr.  Philip  Hayes,  officiating  as  his  deputy 
at  New  and  Magdalen  Colleges.  Through  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Earl  of  Powis  he  obtained,  in  1789, 
the  organistship  of  Ludlow,  Shropshire.  In  1793, 
after  taking  his  degree  of  Bachelor  in  Music,  he  went 
over  to  Dublin  as  Master  of  the  Choristers  of  the 
Cathedrals  of  Christ  Church  and  S.  Patrick.  His 
stay  in  the  Irish  capital  was  but  brief,  for  in  the 
following  year  the  organistship  of  Armagh  Cathedral 
fell  vacant  by  the  death  of  Richard  Langdon.  He 
obtained  this  appointment,  and  during  his  stay  did 
much  towards  raising  the  character  of  the  musical 
services  in  the  Cathedral  of  the  Irish  primatial  See. 
In  1798  the  Rebellion  broke  out,  and,  dreading 
"  the  wild  Irish,"  he  returned  to  his  native  country, 
settling  at  Cambridge,  where,  upon  the  death  of 
Dr.  Randall  in  March,  1799,  he  was  elected  to  the 
organistships  of  the  Colleges  of  Trinity  and  S. 
John's.  He  resided  in  Emmanuel  Close,  and  also  for 
some  time  in  the  neighbouring  village  of  Chesterton, 
where  a  house  was  placed  at  his  disposal  by  Dr.  Lort 
Mansell,  Master  of  Trinity  and  Bishop  of  Bristol. 


FIRST  HALF   OF    i9th   CENTURY     373 

In  1820  Clarke  Whitfeld  removed  to  Hereford  on 
his  appointment  as  organist  of  the  Cathedral  in 
succession  to  Aaron  Upjohn  Hayter.  In  1821  he 
succeeded  Dr.  Charles  Hague  as  Professor  of  Music 
in  the  University  of  Cambridge.  Paralysis  com- 
pelled his  resignation  of  the  Hereford  organistship 
in  1832,  and  he  retired  to  the  village  of  Holmer, 
where  he  died  on  22  February,  1836,  aged  sixty-five 
years.  He  was  buried  in  the  Bishop's  Cloister  of 
Hereford  Cathedral,  where  there  is  a  mural  tablet 
to  his  memory. 

John  Clarke  assumed  the  additional  name  of 
Whitfeld  by  sign  manual  in  1 814,  on  inheriting  con- 
siderable property  from  his  maternal  uncle,  Henry 
Fotherly  Whitfeld,  of  the  Bury,  Rickmansworth, 
Herts.  This  property,  however,  was  nearly  all 
absorbed  in  a  lawsuit  relating  to  the  estate.  His 
degree  of  Doctor  in  Music  was  conferred  on  him  by 
Trinity  College,  Dublin,  in  1795.  In  1799  he  took 
the  degree  of  Doctor  in  Music  at  Cambridge,  and 
in  1 8 10  incorporated  at  Oxford. 

Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld  was  an  excellent  musician  of 
the  Hayes  school,  without  discovering  any  very 
original  genius.  He  thoroughly  understood  writing 
for  the  voices,  and  even  now  his  verse  parts  for  alto, 
tenor,  and  bass  (invariably  well  constructed)  are 
enjoyed  by  Cathedral  singers.*  He  had  likewise  the 
gift  of  melody,  and  he  evidently  admired  Handel. 

An  industrious  composer,  Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld 
published  at  various  times  four  volumes  of  his 
Cathedral  music.  The  first,  containing  a  Morning 
and  Evening  Service  in   F  and  six  anthems,   was 

*  The  settings  of  the  Cantate  and  Dens  in  his  Services  appear 
to  be  modelled  on  those  of  his  contemporary,  Sir  John  Stevenson. 


374     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

published  in  1800.  The  second,  published  in  1805, 
contained  Evening  Services  in  A  major,  A  minor, 
E  major,  and  E^ ;  a  Communion  and  Evening 
Service  in  D  ;*  a  short  Morning  Service  in  F,  com- 
posed for  early  prayers  at  seven  o'clock  in  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge  ;  a  short  Evening  Service  in  F, 
and  twenty-four  chants.  The  third  comprised 
twelve  anthems,  including  the  famous  "  In  Jewry 
is  God  known."  And  the  fourth  (published  while 
the  composer  was  organist  of  Hereford),  the  well- 
known  Morning  and  Evening  Service  in  E  major, 
six  anthems,  and  twenty-four  chants.  Many  of 
these  services  and  anthems  have  been  issued  in 
octavo  form  from  Vincent  Novello's  re-edition  of 
the  four  volumes,  published  in  1855.  Two  anthems 
were  printed  by  Clarke  Whitfeld  singly — a  setting 
of  the  137th  Psalm  and  "  A  Penitential  Anthem  for 
the  Recovery  of  the  King  "  (George  III).  As  a 
writer  of  services  he  was  as  prolific  as  James  Hawkins, 
Thomas  Kelway,  and  Charles  King.  He  left  two 
complete  services,  in  C  major  and  E?,  in  the  manu- 
script books  at  Hereford.  These  were  edited  in 
1863  by  George  Townshend  Smith,  organist  (1843— 
77)  of  Hereford  Cathedral.  The  MS.  score  of  the 
latter  was  "  Inscribed  to  his  kind  friends,  the  Custos 
and  Vicars  of  the  College,  Hereford,  by  J.  Clarke 
Whitfeld,  May  19,  1826."  The  music  library  at 
Hereford  also  contains  three  unpublished  Com- 
munion Services,  in   the   keys  of  C,   E^,   and   Ft 

*  The  Cantate  and  Deus  forming  the  Evening  Service  were 
composed  on  the  celebration  of  the  Peace  in  1802. 

t  These  three  Communion  Services  were  written  to  meet  an 
emergency.  At  Hereford  Cathedral  on  Sundays,  at  that  time, 
Morning  Prayer,  as  far  as  the  third  Collect,  was  sung  at  8  a.m.  by 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     375 

(Sanctus,  Kyrie,  and  Credo),  set  for  two  trebles  and 
a  bass,  and  an  anthem  (also  unpublished),  "  Lord, 
let  me  know  mine  end." 

Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld  was  the  composer  of  an 
oratorio,  The  Crucifixion  and  the  Resurrection.  This 
work  was  performed  "  with  universal  approbation  " 
at  the  Hereford  Triennial  Music  Meetings  in  1822 
and  1825,  and  excited  additional  interest  from  the 
publicity  of  the  circumstance  of  its  having  been 
composed  during  the  agonized  feelings  of  the  author 
for  the  loss  of  his  eldest  son,  an  amiable  young 
man,  midshipman  on  board  H.M.S.  York  (Captain 
Mitford),  who  perished,  with  the  whole  crew,  24 
December,  1808.  Shortly  before  the  composer's 
death  it  was  published  by  Lonsdale,  of  Bond  Street, 
at  the  expense  of  the  Earl  of  Powis.  A  modern 
octavo  edition  has  also  appeared. 

Clarke  Whitfeld's  secular  vocal  compositions  were 
numerous.  He  published  several  sets  of  glees  and 
two  volumes  of  songs  and  other  pieces,  with  original 
poetry  by  Lord  Byron,  Mrs.  Joanna  Baillie,  James 
Hogg,  etc.  Various  songs  and  glees  from  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,  Marmion,  The  Lord 
of  the  Isles,  Rokeby,  and  The  Pirate,  such  as  "  Fitz- 
Eustace,"  "  Lochinvar,"  "The  Last  Words  of 
Marmion,"  "  The  Coronach,"  "  Is  it  the  roar  of 

the  full  choir,  consisting  of  the  boys  and  the  twelve  minor  canons. 
The  latter  were  qualified  singers,  as  those  of  S.  Paul's  were  also 
bound  to  be.  These  minor  canons,  with  the  exception  of  one, 
a  bass,  all  held  livings  in  or  near  the  city,  and  absented  themselves 
from  the  eleven  o'clock  service,  which  consisted  of  the  Litany,  Holy 
Communion,  and  sermon,  in  order  to  serve  their  various  parish 
churches.  At  the  evening  service  the  full  choir  assembled.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  observe  that  such  a  system  no  longer  obtains  at 
Hereford. 


376     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Teviot's  tide  ?  "  etc.,  were  long  popular.  The  set- 
ting of  these  poems  was  the  subject  of  an  interesting 
correspondence  between  the  composer  and  "  the 
Great  Unknown."* 

Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld  accomplished  much  useful 
editing.  In  this  way  he  published  Handel's  vocal 
works,  the  orchestral  parts  adapted  for  the  first 
time  to  a  keyed  instrument,  6  vols,  folio  (1805-8)  ; 
Locke's  music  in  Macbeth  ;  The  Beauties  of  Pur  cell ; 
Arne's  Artaxerxes  ;  Pergolesi's  Stabat  Mater  ;  Thirty 
Favourite  Anthems,  selected  from  the  compositions  of 
Croft,  Greene,  W.  Hayes,  Boyce,  Kent,  Nares,  and 
others,  2  vols,  folio  ;  and  A  Selection  of  Single  and 
Double  Chants,  with  Kyrie  Eleisons,  Sanctuses,  Ancient 
and  Modern,  in  score,  as  performed  in  the  principal 
Choirs  in  the  United  Kingdom,  2  vols,  oblong  4-to. 

With  the  exception  of  his  three  first  volumes  of 
Cathedral  music,  all  Clarke  Whitfeld's  original 
compositions  and  edited  works  have  an  organ  or 
pianoforte  part  condensed  from  the  score  in  lieu  of 
the  old  figured  bass.  By  this  means  they  were 
rendered    additionally    acceptable,    and    must    be 

*  Sir  Walter  Scott  always  lamented  his  ignorance  of  music. 
As  he  tells  us  in  his  autobiography  : — "  It  is  only  by  long  practice 
that  I  have  acquired  the  power  of  selecting  or  distinguishing 
melodies ;  and  although  now  few  things  delight  or  affect  me 
more  than  a  simple  tune  sung  with  feeling,  yet  I  am  sensible 
that  even  this  pitch  of  musical  taste  has  only  been  gained  by 
attention  and  habit,  and,  as  it  were,  by  my  feeling  of  the  words 
being  associated  with  the  tune.  I  have,  therefore,  been  usually 
unsuccessful  in  composing  words  to  a  tune,  although  my  friend, 
Dr.  Clarke,  and  other  musical  composers,  have  sometimes  been 
able  to  make  a  happy  union  between  their  music  and  my  poetry." 
His  correspondence  with  Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld  will  be  found  in 
the  volume  of  Annual  Biography,  1837. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     377 

reckoned  as  among  the  first  to  be  so  treated.  They 
were  long  considered  as  pattern  arrangements.  A 
portrait  of  Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld  is  in  the  Choristers' 
Song  School  at  Hereford. 

John  Stafford  Smith,  who  was  also  born  at 
Gloucester,  was  the  senior  of  Clarke  Whitfeld  by 
twenty  years.  His  father,  Martin  Smith,  was 
organist  of  Gloucester  Cathedral  from  1740  to 
1782,  and  from  him  he  received  his  earliest  instruc- 
tions. In  1 761  he  was  placed  in  the  choir  of  the 
Chapel  Royal  under  Nares,  who  wrote  several 
anthems  to  display  his  beautiful  voice.  He  com- 
pleted his  studies  in  composition  and  organ-playing 
under  Boyce.  In  1784  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Gentlemen  of  the  Chapel  Royal.  On  22  February, 
1785,  he  was  admitted,  "  on  probation,"  one  of  the 
lay  vicars  of  Westminster,  but  was  not  formally 
installed  until  18  April,  1786.  In  1802  he  suc- 
ceeded Dr.  Arnold  as  one  of  the  organists  of  the 
Chapel  Royal,  his  companion  in  office  being  Charles 
Knyvett.  Three  years  later,  on  the  resignation  of 
Dr.  Ayrton,  he  became  Lutenist  and  Master  of  the 
Children.  These  two  last  posts  he  held  until  1817, 
when  he  resigned  in  favour  of  William  Hawes.  He 
died,  after  some  years  of  retirement,  at  Paradise 
Row,  Chelsea,  21  September,  1836,  and  was  buried 
in  the  churchyard  of  S.  Luke's. 

One  of  Stafford  Smith's  chapel  boys  was  John 
Goss,  who  afterwards  became  the  distinguished 
organist  of  S.  Paul's.  A  daughter  of  Sir  John  Goss 
recently  wrote  :  "  In  my  childhood  Stafford  Smith 
lived  in  Paradise  Row,  Chelsea,  and  I  remember  our 
servants  going  to  see  him  as  he  lay  in  his  coffin, 


378     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

when  he  was  attired  in  full  court  dress,  satin 
breeches,  buckles,  &c." 

John  Stafford  Smith's  principal  publication,  and 
the  one  by  which  he  will  doubtless  be  longest  re- 
membered, twas  the  Musica  Antiqua — a  Selection  of 
Music  of  this  and  other  Countries  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  1 2th  to  the  beginning  of  the  18th  Century, 
comprising  some  of  the  earliest  and  most  curious 
Motets,  Madrigals,  Anthems,  Hymns,  Songs,  Lessons 
and  Dance  Tunes,  some  of  which  are  now  first  -pub- 
lished from  MSS.  and  printed  works  of  great  rarity 
and  value.  The  whole  calculated  to  shew  the  original 
sources  of  the  Melody  and  Harmony  of  this  Country, 
and  to  exhibit  the  different  styles  and  degrees 
of  improvement  of  the  several  pieces.  2  vols, 
folio,  1812. 

The  above  lengthy  title  sufficiently  describes  this 
useful  and  interesting  compilation.  The  selections 
are  judicious,  but  suffer  considerably  from  not 
having  been  arranged  in  strictly  chronological  order. 
The  principal  English  composers  from  whose  works 
the  specimens  were  selected  were  Blow,  Byrd,  Child, 
Dowland,  Gibbons,  King  Henry  VIII,  Pelham 
Humphreys,  William  Lawes,  Locke,  Daniel  and 
Henry  Purcell,  and  Tallis ;  while  among  the 
foreigners  we  find  Certon,  Clemens  non  Papa, 
Geminiani,  Orlando  di  Lasso,  Christobal  Morales, 
Okegheim,  and  others  of  lesser  note. 

The  materials  for  this  work  were  furnished  by 
the  musical  library  which  Stafford  Smith*  amassed 

*  Stafford  Smith  helped  Sir  John  Hawkins  in  the  compilation 
of  his  History  of  Music,  by  lending  him  valuable  books  and  MSS., 
and  by  reducing  some  of  the  old  music  into  modern  notation. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY     379 

during  his  lifetime,  containing  many  works  of  great 
rarity  and  value.  "  By  his  will,"  says  the  late  Mr. 
W.  H.  Husk,  librarian  of  the  Sacred  Harmonic 
Society, 

he  bequeathed  all  his  property  to  his  only  surviving 
daughter,  Gertrude,  and  appointed  her  sole  executrix. 
She  proved  the  will  Oct.  30th,  1 836  (personality  sworn 
under  ;£l  2,000),  and  took  possession  of  the  property.  A 
few  years  afterwards  she  became  insane,  and,  in  1 844,  the 
Commissioner  in  Lunacy  ordered  that  her  property  should 
be  realized  and  the  profits  invested  for  her  benefit. 
Through  ignorance,  or  carelessness,  the  contents  of  her 
house  (which  included  her  father's  valuable  library,  re- 
markably rich  in  ancient  English  musical  MSS.),  were 
entrusted  for  sale  to  an  auctioneer,  who,  however  well 
qualified  he  might  have  been  to  catalogue  the  furniture, 
was  utterly  incompetent  to  deal  with  the  library.  It  was 
sold  April  24th,  1844,  suc^  books  as  were  described  at  all 
being  catalogued  from  the  titles  on  the  backs  and  heaped 
together  in  lots,  described  as  "fifty  books,  various,"  etc. 
The  printed  music  was  similarly  dealt  with  ;  the  MSS. 
were  not  even  described  as  such,  but  were  lumped  in  lots 
of  twenties  and  thirties,  and  called  so  many  volumes  of 
music.  Five  hundred  and  seventy-eight  volumes  were  so 
disposed  of,  and  there  were  besides  five  lots  each  contain- 
ing a  quantity  of  music.  The  sale  was  at  an  out-of-the- 
way  place  in  the  Gray's  Inn  Road ;  Smith's  name  did  not 
appear  on  the  catalogue ;  nothing  was  done  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  musical  world,  and  two  dealers  who  had 
obtained  information  of  the  sale  purchased  many  of  the 
lots  at  very  low  prices.  These,  after  a  time,  were  brought 
into  the  market,  but  it  is  to  be  feared  the  greater  part  of 
the  MSS.  are  altogether  lost. 

In  1793  Stafford  Smith  published  a  folio  volume, 
Anthems  composed  for  the  Choir  Service  of  the  Church 
of  England.  The  dedication  page  of  this  collection 
runs  thus  : — 


380     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

To  the  Most  Reverend  John  Moore,  d.d.,  Lord  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  the  annexed  Anthems,  intended  to 
exhibit  a  closer  analogy  than  usual,  between  the  Accent  of 
Speech  and  the  Melody  of  Song,  are  inscribed  with  the 
truest  gratitude  and  deference,  by  his  obliged  and  obedient 
servant,  John  Stafford  Smith. 

The  music  of  these  anthems  (twenty  in  number) 
is  exceedingly  beautiful,  but  the  ruthless  march  of 
fashion  has  left  them  all  behind  and  unregarded 
save  one,  "  Come  unto  Me,"  which  has  been  re- 
printed in  more  than  one  collection  of  modern  part 
music.  The  composer  was  decidedly  original  in  his 
choice  of  words,  witness  such  titles  as  "  Jesus  seeing 
the  multitudes  "  (a  setting  of  the  Beatitudes), 
"  Horrible  is  the  end  of  the  unrighteous  genera- 
tion," "  Rejoice  not  against  me,  O  mine  enemy," 
and  "  Thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One."  By 
discarding  the  old  alto  and  tenor  clefs,  and  by 
adding  a  separate  organ  accompaniment,  Stafford 
Smith  took  another  bold  step.  A  short  full  anthem 
(not  contained  in  the  above  volume),  a  setting  of 
the  Collect  for  the  Second  Sunday  after  Epiphany, 
has  recently  been  published  from  the  original  MS., 
dated  8  March,  1813,  in  the  possession  of  the  late 
Julian  Marshall. 

Stafford  Smith's  remaining  publications  for  the 
Church  were  a  setting  of  the  hymn,  "  The  spacious 
firmament  on  high,"  and  (in  1811)  Twelve  Chants 
composed  for  the  Use  of  the  Choirs  of  the  Church  of 
England.  This  collection  was  dedicated  to  the 
Rev.  W.  Holmes,  Sub-dean  of  the  Chapel  Royal, 
Minor  Canon  and  Junior  Cardinal  of  S.  Paul's,  and 
Vicar  of  Cripplegate.*    Some  of  these  chants  are 

*  Sub-dean  Holmes  died  15  June,  1833.  There  is  a  mural 
tablet  to  his  memory  in  the  north  aisle  of  S.  Giles',  Cripplegate. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     381 

formed  by  imitation  and  inversion.  The  double 
chant  on  the  sixth  and  seventh  pages  of  this  now 
scarce  collection  is  that  in  G  major,  without  which 
no  chant  book  can  be  considered  as  complete.  The 
minor  form,  now  so  universally  given,  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  suggested  by  the  composer. 

Two  unpublished  services  in  the  keys  of  C  and  D 
major,  by  Stafford  Smith,  are  extant  at  the  Chapel 
Royal. 

As  a  glee  writer  Stafford  Smith  had  few  equals 
in  his  day.  He  published  five  collections  of  his  own 
at  various  times.  Warren's  celebrated  collection 
contains  14  glees,  14  catches,  4  canons,  2  rounds, 
an  ode,  a  madrigal,  and  a  motett  by  him.  Eight  of 
these  compositions  gained  the  prize  medal  offered 
by  the  Glee  Club  between  1773  and  1780.  A  por- 
trait of  John  Stafford  Smith  was  engraved  for  The 
A ''polio ,  or  Harmonist  in  Miniature,  a  Selection  of 
Ancient  and  Modern  Catches,  Glees,  Canons,  Epi- 
grams, &c.  This  useful  collection  was  published  in 
eight  volumes  (pocket  size)  by  T.  Williams,  2  Strand, 
Charing  Cross,  about  1822.  It  contains  Stafford 
Smith's  finest  glee,  "  Return,  blest  days." 

Samuel  Wesley,  who  forms  the  subject  of  our 
next  biographical  sketch,  may  be  characterized  as 
one  of  the  greatest  musical  geniuses  that  our  coun- 
try has  ever  produced.  In  the  musical  history  of 
the  nineteenth  century  the  work  of  Samuel  Wesley, 
and  that  of  his  no  less  gifted  son,  Samuel  Sebastian, 
is  of  real  importance.  Both  composers  need  not 
shun  comparison  with  continental  celebrities  such 
as  Spohr  and  Mendelssohn. 

Samuel  Wesley  was  born  at  Bristol  24  February, 
2  c 


382      ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

1766.  He  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley 
(brother  of  the  perhaps  greater  John),  and  afforded, 
as  did  his  elder  brother  Charles,  very  early  indica- 
tions of  musical  genius.  When  barely  four  years  of 
age  he  could  play  and  extemporize  freely  on  the 
organ,  and  when  he  was  five  had  taught  himself  to 
read  and  write  a  print  hand  from  his  unremitting 
study  of  Handel's  oratorio,  Samson,  which  he  had 
committed  entirely  to  memory.  He  also  learned 
by  heart  within  a  month  the  whole  of  Handel's 
overtures  which  were  accessible  to  him,  and  before 
he  was  eight  had  composed  and  written  out  an 
oratorio,  which  he  called  Ruth.  This  he  presented 
to  Dr.  Boyce,  who  acknowledged  the  compliment 
in  the  following  terms  :  "  Dr.  Boyce  presents  his 
compliments  and  thanks  to  his  very  ingenious 
brother  composer,  Mr.  Samuel  Wesley,  and  is  very 
much  pleased  and  obliged  by  the  possession  of  the 
oratorio  of  Ruth,  which  he  shall  preserve  with  the 
utmost  care  as  the  most  curious  product  of  his 
musical  library." 

Both  boys  gave  private  concerts  at  their  father's 
residence  in  Chesterfield  Street,  Marylebone,  which 
were  attended  by  large  and  fashionable  audiences. 
The  Earl  of  Mornington  was  a  constant  attendant, 
and  frequently  joined  his  two  young  friends  by  play- 
ing on  the  violin,  in  which  he  excelled.  This  accom- 
plished nobleman  was  so  enraptured  with  the 
playing  of  Samuel  that  he  ordered  for  him  a  Court 
suit  of  scarlet,  in  which  he  usually  appeared  at  the 
concerts.  The  tailor's  bill  for  making  that  suit  is 
extant,  and  is  endorsed  at  the  back  by  Mrs.  Wesley — 
"  Sammy's  scarlet  suit,  paid  for  by  money  given 
him  by  the  Earl  of  Mornington."     The  Earl  had 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     383 

the  young  performer's  portrait  painted,  at  the  age 
of  eight  years,  standing  by  his  organ,  and  likewise 
had  it  finely  engraved  on  steel.  John  Wesley 
attended  one  of  these  concerts,  25  February,  1781. 

Before  he  had  attained  his  majority  Samuel 
Wesley  had  become  a  fine  classical  scholar,  a  first- 
rate  performer  on  the  organ,  piano,  and  harpsichord, 
and  certainly  the  most  brilliant  extempore  player  in 
England.  Unfortunately,  however,  his  prospects 
were  clouded  by  a  sad  accident  which  befell  him  in 
1787.  Returning  home  one  evening  from  a  visit  to 
an  intimate  friend  (one  of  the  oldest  members  of 
the  Madrigal  Society),  in  passing  through  Snow 
Hill  he  fell  into  a  deep  excavation  which  had  been 
prepared  for  the  erection  of  some  new  building. 
There  he  lay  insensible  until  daylight  disclosed  his 
situation  and  he  was  conveyed  home.  His  head  had 
received  a  most  serious  injury,  and  his  medical 
attendant  wished  to  perform  the  operation  known 
as  trepanning,  but  Wesley,  with  the  obstinacy 
which  characterized  him  throughout  life,  refused 
to  consent  to  this,  and  the  wound  was  allowed  to 
heal.  This  he  ever  afterwards  regretted,  for  it  is 
supposed  that  in  consequence  of  some  portion  of 
the  skull  adhering  to  and  pressing  on  the  brain 
those  periodical  attacks  of  high  nervous  irritability 
originated  which  subsequently  darkened  his  career. 

For  several  years  immediately  following  this  mis- 
hap he  remained  in  a  low,  desponding  state,  refusing 
to  cultivate  his  genius  for  music.  On  his  recovery 
he  joined  Benjamin  Jacob,  organist  to  the  Rev. 
Rowland  Hill  at  Surrey  Chapel,  in  introducing  to 
English  audiences  the  great  organ  works  of  his  idol, 
John  Sebastian  Bach.    A  series  of  letters  relative  to 


384     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

the  above  passed  between  the  two  musicians,  and 
those  of  Wesley,  which  had  been  preserved,  were 
published  in  1875  by  his  daughter,  Miss  Eliza 
Wesley,  for  many  years  organist  of  the  Church  of 
S.  Margaret  Pattens,  Rood  Lane.  These  letters 
overflow  with  that  dry  wit  and  pungent  sarcasm 
for  which  Wesley  was  so  remarkable.  Writing  to 
his  mother  at  the  height  of  his  Bach  enthusiasm 
(12  January,  18 10),  Wesley  says  : — 

Remember  me  to  my  brother  [Charles],  and  tell  him 
that  if  he  is  minded  to  go  to  S.  Paul's  on  Sunday  next  to 
the  afternoon  service,  he  will  hear  that  fugue  in  three 
movements,  in  three  flats,*  which  he  assisted  me  in  playing 
the  other  evening,  and  which  he  was  so  delighted  with — 
upon  that  noble  organ,  with  the  double  bass,  which  makes 
a  magnificent  effect.  The  service  begins  at  a  quarter  after 
three. 

In  1 815,  when  on  a  journey  to  Norwich  for  the 
purpose  of  conducting  an  oratorio  at  the  musical 
festival,  Wesley  had  another  attack  of  his  malady, 
and  for  several  years  more  he  retired  from  public  life, 
"endeavouring,"  as  one  of  his  biographers  informs  us, 
"  to  find  relief  in  constant  attendance  upon  Divine 
Service,  and  living  with  the  austerity  of  a  hermit." 

In  1823  he  recovered,  and  in  the  following  year 
was  elected  organist  of  Camden  Town  Chapel,  now 
the  Parish  Church  of  S.  Stephen — one  of  the 
Grecian  trio  erected  in  London  by  the  architect 
brothers  Inwood,  the  two  others  being  S.  Pancras, 
Euston  Road,  and  S.  Peter,  Regent  Square.  The 
organ  in  the  Camden  Town  Church  was  built  by 
Gray  from  Wesley's  design. 

Early  in  1837  Wesley  had  another  relapse,  but  by 

[*  This  is,  of  course,  the  fugue  known  as  "  S.  Anne's."] 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     385 

the  August  of  that  year  he  partially  recovered  his 
health  and  spirits.  It  soon  became  evident,  how- 
ever, that  his  constitution  was  undergoing  a  great 
change.  About  three  weeks  before  his  death  he 
rallied,  and  was  present  at  an  organ  performance 
by  Mendelssohn  at  Christ  Church,  Newgate  Street, 
speaking  of  the  "  wonderful  mind  "  of  that  com- 
poser in  the  terms  of  the  strongest  eulogy.  He  died 
at  King's  Row,  Pentonville,  on  11  October,  and 
was  interred  on  the  17th  in  the  grave  of  his  father 
in  the  churchyard  of  Old  S.  Marylebone.  The 
choir  of  Westminster  Abbey,  under  the  direction 
of  their  organist,  James  Turle,  sang  the  burial  ser- 
vice of  Croft  and  Purcell,  the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley, 
of  the  Chapel  Royal,  S.  James,  the  eldest  son  of  the 
composer,  officiating. 

Samuel  Wesley  was  always  regarded  with  par- 
ticular solicitude  by  his  uncle,  John,  who,  writing 
in  reference  to  his  supposed  conversion  to  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion,  observed  :  "  He  may, 
indeed,  roll  a  few  years  in  purging  fires,  but  he  will 
surely  go  to  Heaven  at  last."  Our  composer  dis- 
claimed ever  having  been  a  convert  to  Romanism, 
observing  that,  although  the  Gregorian  music  had 
enticed  him  to  their  chapels,  the  tenets  of  the 
Romanists  never  obtained  any  influence  over  his 
mind.  He  was  wont  to  relate  that  his  father,  the 
Rev.  Charles  Wesley,  when  dying,  called  him  to  his 
bedside  and  addressed  him  as  follows  :  "  Omnia 
vanitas  et  vexatio  spiritus,  prseter  amare  Deum  et 
Illi  soli  servire  "  ;  and,  blessing  him,  he  added  : 
"  Sam,  we  shall  meet  in  Heaven."  These  words 
made  a  great  impression  on  Wesley,  and  they  form 
the  subject  of  one  of  his  motetts. 


386     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Wesley  used  to  say  that  one  of  the  greatest  treats 
he  ever  had  in  music  was  in  accompanying  the 
Gregorian  Requiem  on  the  organ  at  a  Catholic 
chapel.  It  was  sung  in  canto  jermo  by  about  fifty 
priests,  and  he  supplied  the  harmonies  extempore. 

Before  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  Wesley  wrote  a 
Mass  for  the  chapel  of  the  unfortunate  Pope  Pius  VI. 
The  published  copy  bears  this  dedication  : — 

"  Beatissimo  Patri  nostro  Pio  Sexto  haec  Missa 
humilitate  maxima  dicatur  (primitiae  Ecclesiae),  suo 
indignissimo  filio  et  obsequentissimo  servo,  Samuel 
Wesley."* 

It  is  dated  I  September,  1784,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  Mass  are  the  words  "  Soli  Deo  Gloria."  On  the 
title-page  is  the  monogram  I.H.S.,  with  the  three 
nails  "  in  pile,"  surrounded  by  a  glory — the  usual 
badge  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  It  was  printed  by 
J.  Whatman  and  J.  Buttanshaw.  For  this  Mass 
Wesley  received  the  thanks  of  the  Pope  in  a  Latin 
letter,  sent  through  his  Vicar  Apostolic  in  London, 
Dr.  Talbot,  1785. 

Some  years  after  this  Wesley  made  what  he  con- 
sidered his  amende  honorable  to  the  Church  of 
England  in  the  composition  of  a  masterly  setting 
of  the  Morning  and  Evening  Service  in  F.  This 
was  published  in  the  year  1824,  "  respectfully  dedi- 
cated to  all  choirs."  As  mentioned  in  an  earlier 
portion  of  this  chapter,  only  one  Cathedral  could 
be  found  to  subscribe  to  this  service.  Eventually 
the  plates  were  melted  down  by  the  publisher, 
J.  Balls,  of  408  Oxford  Street,  to  be  restamped 
with  a  set  of  quadrilles  !  The  service  was  after- 
wards reprinted  by  Vincent  Novello  in  his  Cathedral 

*  Wesley's  Latin  is  somewhat  shaky. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY     387 

Choir  Book,  and  a  new  edition  has  since  been  issued 
by  Sir  George  Martin. 

Wesley  was  evidently  more  at  home  in  his  com- 
positions for  the  Roman  than  in  those  for  .the 
Anglican  service.  From  time  to  time  he  produced 
some  splendid  motetts,  monuments  of  his  skill  in 
counterpoint,  such  as  In  exitu  Israel  (double  chorus 
and  organ)  in  B^  ;  Dixit  Dominus ;  Ecce  Panis 
(4  voices)  in  D  minor  ;  Tu  es  Sacerdos  (6  voices)  in 
D  major,  1827  ;  "  Carmen  Funebre,"  Omnia  vanitas 
(5  voices)  in  E  major  ;  Exultate  Deo  (5  voices)  ; 
Lev  ate  capita  (2  altos,  tenor,  and  bass)  in  B^  ;  and 
Hosanna  in  Excelsis.  Other  Latin  pieces  by  Wesley 
made  their  appearance  in  Vincent  Novello's  well- 
known  collection  of  Sacred  Music — Masses,  Motetts 
for  the  Offertory,  etc. — originally  published  in  181 1, 
and  dedicated  to  the  Rev.  Victor  Fryer,*  the  officiant 
at  the  Portuguese  Embassy  Chapel,  South  Street, 
Grosvenor  Square,  where,  from  1797  to  1822, 
Novello  was  organist. 

For  the  English  Church  service  Wesley  wrote  the 
anthems,  "  I  said,  I  will  take  heed  to  my  ways  " 
(published  in  Page's  Harmonia  Sacra),  "  Thou,  O 
God,  art  praised  in  Sion "  (written  for  Alfred 
Pettet's  Original  Sacred  Music,  1826),  and  "  All  go 
to  one  place  "  (In  Memoriam  his  brother,  Charles 
Wesley). 

An  Evening  Service  in  G  (Magnificat  and  Nunc 
Dimittis)  was  published,  from  the  original  MS.,  in 
the  Anglican  Choir  Series,  1897.  This  is  for  four 
voices,  and  as  the  organ  part  is  in  several  places 
independent  of  the  voices,  the  composition  may  be 

*  The  Rev.  Victor  Fryer  died  6  September,  1844. 


388     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

regarded  as  in  advance  of  its  time.  A  setting  of 
the  Litany,  after  the  manner  of  those  by  Loosemore, 
Wanless,  and  others  (composed  20  November,  1806), 
has  been  printed  in  the  late  Frederick  Archer's 
series,  Choir  and  Home. 

Wesley  thus  refers  to  this  Litany  in  the  letter  to 
his  brother  Charles  already  quoted  (page  320)  : — 

Now  to  the  business  of  the  Litany.  Little  Master 
Tommy  [Attwood,  then  organist  of  S.  Paul's],  although 
he  has  been  ten  years,  at  least,  the  doughty  organist  of 
Paul's  Church,  yet  it  seems  has  never  studied  those  parts  of 
the  Church  Service  called  Rubrics,  one  of  which  directs 
that  the  Litany  is  to  be  read  or  sung  on  all  Sundays, 
Wednesdays,  and  Fridays  throughout  the  year.  Christmas 
Day,  you  may  remember,  happened  on  a  Thursday ;  there- 
fore the  consequence  was  that  no  Litany  was  to  be  had  for 
love  or  money,  the  latter  of  which  I  could  not  offer,  and 
the  former,  among  musicians  and  Church  dignitaries,  I  was 
not  fool  enough  to  expect.  However,  to  do  justice  to  the 
Sub-dean  [Dr.  Weldon  Champneys,  also  Succentor],  and 
honour  to  myself,  all  under  one,  I  must  observe  that  he 
wrote  me  a  very  handsome  excuse  for  his  disappointment, 
and  a  panegyric  upon  the  composition,  which  it  seems 
he  had  heard  in  private,  and  added  his  testimony  of  appro- 
bation concerning  the  manner  in  which  it  was  produced. 
Attwood  has  since  been  anxious  to  have  it  sung  on  any 
Sunday  I  may  appoint.  I  show  him  my  indifference  upon 
this  head,  by  leaving  it  from  time  to  time  without  fixing 
any  day.  But  he  means  very  well,  though  occasionally  a 
marplot,  and  one  can  never  be  thoroughly  angry  with  an 
honest  blunderer.  All  I  regretted  was  the  disappointment 
of  some  people  who  I  knew  went  to  church  on  purpose. 
It  only  remains  now  with  me  to  perform  the  said  article, 
together  with  your  Sanctus,  when  most  convenient  to 
myself. 

A  year  later  (December,  1808)  he  again  writes  : — 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY     389 

Perhaps  you,  or  some  of  your  friends,  will  like  to  hear 
my  Te  Deum,  Jubilate,  and  Litany,  at  S.  Paul's,  on  Christmas 
Day.  They  always  keep  this  service  of  mine  for  high 
days  and  holidays  •,  therefore  there  is  hardly  any  other 
opportunity  of  hearing  it  but  upon  the  four  great  festivals. 
The  prayers  begin  at  a  quarter  before  10  in  the  morning. 

The  1e  Deum  and  Jubilate  mentioned  by  Wesley 
were  probably  those  from  his  Service  in  F,  not  then 
printed. 

Several  of  S.  Wesley's  Latin  pieces  have  been  re- 
published with  English  translations.  He  left  many 
motetts,  antiphons,  masses,  and  anthems  in  MS., 
but  in  all,  published  or  unpublished,  we  may  see 
a  head  turned  towards  the  highest  designs  in  eccle- 
siastical music. 

As  an  extempore  performer  on  the  organ  and 
pianoforte,  Wesley,  when  at  the  zenith  of  his 
powers,  surpassed  in  fire  and  originality,  as  well  as 
in  profound  fugal  skill,  any  continental  musician 
who  was  admired  in  this  faculty  during  the  first 
half  of  the  last  century.  It  was  after  listening  to 
Wesley,  and  with  reference  to  him,  that  an  excellent 
musician  observed  :  "  Well — of  all  music — the 
extempore  kind,  when  it  is  good,  is  certainly  the 
best."  In  its  effect  on  the  hearer  it  is  extremely 
powerful,  commingling  wonder  and  pleasure.  We 
are  held  in  suspense  and  admiration  at  the  mysteri- 
ous source  of  our  enjoyment,  and  in  considering  the 
endless  varieties  of  combination  which  the  human 
faculties  present. 

Skilful  as  Samuel  Wesley  was  on  the  organ, 
almost  beyond  credibility,  yet  his  violin  playing 
was  also  excellent.  An  amateur  friend,  happening 
one  day  to  find  him  thus  employed,  inquired  how 


390     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

long  he  had  played  that  morning.  He  replied  : 
"  Three  or  four  hours,  which  Giardini  had  found 
necessary."  On  the  organ  traces  of  Bach's  style 
were  more  discernible  than  that  of  any  other 
master ;  on  the  harpsichord,  of  Scarlatti.  Fre- 
quently, however,  as  stated  above,  his  voluntaries 
were  original,  con  spirito,  con  amore.  He  had  the 
art  of  fully  possessing  himself  of  the  peculiarities  of 
any  composer  after  he  had  once  listened  to  him  ; 
and  astonished  auditors  continually  heard  him  play, 
extemporaneously,  lessons  which  might  have  been 
those  of  Pinto,  Abel,  Schobert,  and  Bach.  Sebastian 
Bach,  indeed,  he  almost  venerated. 

Samuel  Wesley  published  much  for  the  organ.  In 
Novello's  Select  Organ  Pieces  there  were  given,  inter 
alia^  three  of  his  finest  fugues — those  in  B*7,  D,  and 
E17 — with  an  arrangement  of  Sicut  erat,  the  final 
chorus  from  his  motett,  Dixit  Dominus.  Many  of 
his  shorter  pieces  were  printed  in  Novello's  Melodies 
for  the  Soft  Stops.  A  "  Grand  Duet,"  published  by 
Lonsdale,  was  perhaps  one  of  the  finest  composi- 
tions for  the  organ  then  written  since  the  time  of 
Bach.  Recently  Mr.  John  E.  West  has  arranged  the 
following  pieces  with  his  usual  judgment  and  good 
taste  :  Prelude  and  Fugue  in  A  ;  Voluntary  in  C  ; 
and  three  short  pieces :  (i)  Prelude,  (2)  Air,  (3) 
Gavotte. 

Edward  Holmes,  the  pupil  of  Vincent  Novello, 
who  knew  Wesley  well,  gave,  in  1851,  these  impres- 
sions of  his  playing  : — 

My  opportunities  of  hearing  Wesley  on  the  organ 
were  not  frequent,  but  one  musical  holiday,  to  which 
Mr.  Novello  introduced  me,  is  still  fresh  in  my  memory. 
Our  day  of  music  was  to  begin  at  noon,  in  the  German 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY     391 

church  at  the  Savoy,  where  there  is  an  old-fashioned  beauti- 
ful organ  by  Snetzler.  Of  all  the  London  organs  this  was 
one  of  the  most  favourite  instruments  of  Wesley ;  and  he 
seemed  to  have  looked  forward  to  this  day  in  high  good 
humour,  for  in  his  invitation  to  his  friend  Novello,  he 
begged  him  not  to  "stuff  his  pockets  too  full  of  the  works 
of  Rossini."  .  .  .  The  party  in  the  church  was  only  four, 
and  the  music,  which  consisted  entirely  of  Bach's  fugues, 
was  played  in  the  easy  and  effective  form  of  duets. 
Wesley  kept  almost  entirely  at  his  seat  at  the  bass,  and 
played  with  every  one  in  turn,  giving  to  each,  as  he  came, 
the  choice  of  his  own  fugue.  When  all  was  over,  Wesley 
had  to  play  extempore — and  he  treated  the  organ  in  a 
manner,  which,  to  a  young  man  who  had  never  heard  any 
of  Bach's  trios,  appeared  extraordinarily  new  and  difficult. 
He  began  with  a  soft  air,  and  then,  with  his  right  hand  on 
the  swell,  his  left  on  the  diapasons  of  the  great  organ,  and 
his  feet  sliding  over  the  pedals,  he  made  it  the  subject  of  a 
trio,  of  which  the  parts  for  the  two  hands  continually 
crossing  or  involved  together,  produced  a  very  beautiful 
effect.  A  more  difficult  mode  of  improvisation  cannot  be 
imagined ;  it  discovered  the  most  profound  head  and  the 
most  refined  taste. 

Apropos  of  those  old  musical  holidays,  I  cannot  forget 
how  Mr.  Novello,  a  man  of  high  enthusiasm  and  taste  in 
his  art,  used  to  encourage  them  as  soon  as  he  got  free 
from  the  toils  of  teaching.  The  old  collegiate  church  of 
S.  Katherine's  by  the  Tower,  was  another  of  our  favourite 
haunts.  The  organ  by  Green  possessed  diapasons  of  the 
most  silvery  tone,  and  the  ample  interior  of  the  magnificent 
old  church  gave  them  just  sufficient  vibration — not  too  much. 
Our  pleasure  in  that  beautiful  organ,  with  its  magnificent 
unequalled  swell,  was  so  great,  that  even  the  snow  and  the 
"icy  fang"  of  winter  were  unable  to  keep  us  from  our 
musical  devotions  at  S.  Katherine's,  where  we  had  the  great 
church  to  ourselves.  Buttoned  up,  and  lugging  a  great 
music  book,  we  used  to  leave  the  merchants  and  bill- 
brokers  on  'Change  to  their  accounts  with  great  satisfac- 
tion and  pursue  our  other-world  ^business.      We  did  not 


392      ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

consult  the  " Price  Current"  for  the  rate  of  bellows-blowing, 
and  had  no  fear  that  our  transactions  in  wind  would  affect 
the  state  of  the  market.  We  just  stopped  in  the  city  a 
little  while,  merely  to  pity  the  poor  men  who  were  so 
idling  their  precious  time,  and  who  did  not  understand 
fugues. 

We  gain  a  side-light  on  Wesley  from  Music  and 
Friends,*  the  chatty  and  agreeable,  though  it  is  to 
be  feared  in  many  respects  inaccurate,  Recollections 
of  William  Gardiner,  a  former  well-known  amateur 
of  Leicester.  The  subjoined  extract  is  interesting 
as  showing  how  a  Sunday  in  London  might  be 
spent  by  a  lover  of  Church  music  in  the  early 
"  thirties  "  of  the  last  century  : — 

On  Whit-Sunday  we  repaired  to  Westminster  Abbey, 
to  hear  the  responses  of  Tallis,  always  performed  on  this 
day.  They  are  grand  specimens  of  the  simple  evolutions 
of  harmony  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII,  and  give  us  an 
exalted  idea  of  the  genius  of  his  chief  musician.  In  the 
course  of  the  service  we  had  some  pieces  from  Orlando 
Gibbons  [probably  the  Te  Deutn  and  Benedictus  in  F],  a  style 
more  melodious  than  the  preceding  age,  yet  far  from  the 
perfection  of  the  present  day  ;  for,  though  melody  is  the 
result  of  harmony,  it  has  not  developed  till  within  the  last 
fifty  years.  The  service  was  admirably  played  on  the 
organ,  by  Mr.  Turle,  with  a  gigantic  hand,  grasping  as 
many  notes  as  he  had  fingers,  added  to  the  double  diapasons 
played  by  his  feet.  When  the  music  had  terminated,  we 
drove  to  the  Bavarian  Chapel  in  Warwick  Street,  and,  by 
the  aid  of  eighteen  pence  each,  obtained  an  uncomfortable 
seat.  Here  the  masses  of  Haydn  and  Mozart  are  as  well 
executed  as  a  mere  accompaniment  of  the  organ  will 
permit  :  it  is  only  in  the  cathedrals  abroad  that  you  can 
have  these  divine  compositions  properly  performed.  In 
addition  to  the  organ  there  is  a  complete  orchestra  of  all 

*  3  vols.  8vo,  1838-53. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY     393 

the  instruments,  without  which  the  sublimities  of  these 
works  cannot  be  shewn.  I  am  informed  that  the  post- 
humous mass  of  Beethoven  is  attempted  by  the  Bavarian 
choir.  This  must  suffer  in  a  greater  degree,  inasmuch  as 
the  accompaniments  are  of  a  more  elaborate  kind.  So 
inadequate  is  the  organ  to  express  what  the  divine  author 
intended,  that  he  has  written  a  separate  part  for  that 
instrument,  in  which  he  employs  its  peculiar  powers  with 
an  effect  entirely  new.  The  service  being  concluded,  we 
drove  to  the  Chapel  Royal,  and,  by  a  back  staircase  that 
winds  through  one  of  the  turrets  in  that  ancient  pile,  we 
arrived  at  a  secret  door,  and,  gently  tapping,  were  let 
into  the  organ-loft,  where  Sir  George  Smart  was  presiding. 
This  is  a  gallery  jutting  a  little  way  into  the  Chapel,  from 
which  you  have  a  complete  view  of  the  Royal  family.  In 
this  snug  apartment  I  have  met  the  most  distinguished 
musicians  and  amateurs  of  the  age  :  Sir  John  Rogers, 
President  of  the  Madrigal  Society,  to  which  he  contributes 
many  of  his  own  compositions ;  General  Sir  Andrew 
Barnard,  equerry  to  the  three  last  monarchs,  as  eminent  in 
his  taste  for  music,  as  his  science  in  arms  and  bravery  in 
the  field.  The  Earl  of  Wilton  was  playing  an  elaborate 
fugue  upon  the  organ,  and  I  asked  Sir  George  if  he  was 
as  clever  at  that  as  he  was  2Xfugueing  after  a  fox  in  Leices- 
tershire, in  which  diversion  he  is  pre-eminent,  and  con- 
sidered one  of  the  foremost  in  the  field.  The  anthem  was 
"  Ascribe  unto  the  Lord"  by  Travers,  a  composition  not 
much  known.  .  .  . 

We  drove  leisurely  to  S.  Paul's,  and  were  in  time  for 
the  afternoon  service.  The  organ  has  lately  received  an 
addition  of  pedal  pipes  of  the  largest  size,  descending  an 
octave  below  the  original  notes.  These,  under  the  gigantic 
tread  of  Cooper,*  have  conferred  a  grandeur  upon  the  in- 
strument never  surpassed.  Fortunately,  the  anthem  was 
one  of  all  others  I  wished  to  hear,  that  celebrated  production 

[*  Assistant  organist  to  Attwood,  and  afterwards  to  Goss.  He 
died  in  1843.  The  pedal  pipes  had  been  added  by  Bishop,  the 
organ-builder,  in  1826.] 


394     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

of  Dr.  Blow,  "  /  was  in  the  Spirit  en  the  Lord's  day"  The 
ideas  of  this  piece  are  of  an  elevated  nature,  but  unequally 
written.  Were  it  recast,  and  developed  by  modern  instru- 
mentation it  would  rank  as  an  imposing  composition.   .   .  . 

After  service  at  S.  Paul's  Mr.  Attwood  and  Mr.  Cooper, 
the  organists,  met  Mr.  Samuel  Wesley  at  the  London 
Coffee  House  [on  Ludgate  Hill]  for  dinner.  The  conversa- 
tion, at  my  instance,  turned  chiefly  upon  music ;  but  to 
Wesley  any  other  subject  seemed  more  agreeable.  I  fell 
into  his  humour,  and  he  told  me  many  curious  anecdotes  of 
his  uncle  John,  the  celebrated  founder  of  the  Methodists. 
In  the  midst  of  our  port  and  claret  he  called  for  a  pen  and 
ink,  and  wrote,  from  recollection,  the  following  verses, 
composed  by  his  uncle  upon  the  death  of  Whitfeld,  which, 
he  said,  had  never  been  published.  [Here  follow  the  now, 
of  course,  well-known  stanzas,  "  Servant  of  God,  well 
done!"] 

The  divine,  he  observed,  was  not  the  only  celebrated 
man  the  family  had  produced.  There  was  his  cousin 
the  soldier,  Sir  Arthur  Wesley,  or  Wellesley,  as 
they  now  had  chosen  to  call  themselves,  for  what 
reason  he  did  not  know,  but  it  was  within  his  recollec- 
tion that  they  altered  the  spelling  of  the  name.  .  .  . 
After  dinner  it  was  proposed  that  we  should  accompany 
Mr.  Cooper  to  the  evening  service  at  S.  Sepulchre's,  where 
there  is  a  fine  organ.  It  was  suggested  that,  if  I  were 
to  ask  Mr.  Wesley  to  play  at  the  conclusion  of  the  service, 
he  probably  would.  I  said  the  request  would  come  better 
from  the  King's  organist  than  myself,  but,  as  a  stranger, 
it  was  urged  that  I  was  more  likely  to  succeed.  As  we 
walked  together  I  said,  "Mr.  Wesley,  these  gentlemen 
wish  me  to  ask  you  to  touch  the  organ  at  the  conclusion 
of  the  service ;  you  may  be  a  fine  organist,  that  I  know 
nothing  about,  but  I  am  contented  with  you  as  a  philosopher 
and  man  of  letters,  in  whose  company  I  have  spent  a 
pleasant  day."  I  saw,  by  a  cunning  leer  at  the  corner  of 
his  eye,  that  I  had  pleased  him  by  the  remark,  and  the 
moment  the  service  was  over,  he  sat  down,  and  began  a 
noble  fugue  in  the  key  of  C£  major.     It  was  wonderful  with 


FIRST  HALF  OF   io/th  CENTURY     395 

what  skill  and  dexterity  he  conducted  it  through  the  most 
eccentric  harmonies.  This  extempore  playing  was  his 
forte,  in  which  he  had  no  rival.* 

It  is  impossible  within  the  limits  of  these  pages 
to  do  ample  justice  to  the  life  and  labours  of  this, 
in  many  ways,  extraordinary  personage.  The 
reader  is  referred  to  the  admirable  biography — 
authoritative  and  exhaustive — contributed  to  the 
Musical  Times,  August  and  December,  1902,  by 
Mr.  F.  G.  Edwards,  who  has  made  the  Wesley 
family  and  their  works  one  of  his  special  studies. 
Indeed,  he  may  almost  be  said  to  have  had  the 
last  word  on  the  subject. 

Two  portraits  of  Samuel  Wesley  are  extant,  and 
show  him  to  have  been  both  a  pretty  boy  and  a 
handsome  man.  The  former  portrait  was  painted, 
as  already  mentioned,  at  the  expense  of  his  patron, 
Lord  Mornington,  by  John  Russell,  r.a.,  and  the 
latter  by  John  Jackson,  r.a.  A  pencil-drawing,  pre- 
served in  the  British  Museum,  shows  the  celebrated 
organist  in  later  life.  In  face  and  figure  he  was  the 
counterpart  of  his  grandfather,  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Wesley,  a.m.,  Rector  of  Epworth. 

Samuel  Wesley's  elder  brother,  Charles,  exhibited 
as  a  boy  the  same  extraordinary  musical  genius. 
His  father,  the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley,  contributed  an 
account  of  the  early  years  of  both  to  the  Hon. 
Daines  Barrington's  Literary  and  Philosophical  Mis- 
cellanies (1781).  Charles  was  born  at  Bristol  11  De- 
cember, 1757,  and  at  two  years  and  three-quarters 

*  Gardiner  is  loose  in  his  chronology  throughout  his  book, 
Music  and  Friends.  The  year  of  this  musical  Sunday  in  London 
may,  however,  be  approximately  placed  at  1832. 


396     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

old  had  a  strong  inclination  to  music.  He  then 
surprised  his  father  by  playing  a  tune  on  the  harpsi- 
chord, readily  and  in  just  time.  Whatever  tune  it 
was,  he  always  put  a  true  bass  to  it.  He  received 
his  earliest  instructions  from  Broderip,  Rooke,  and 
Rogers,  all  Bristol  organists ;  but  his  father  always 
saw  the  importance,  if  he  was  to  be  a  musician,  of 
placing  him  under  the  best  master  that  could  be 
got,  and  also  one  that  was  an  admirer  of  Handel, 
Charles  preferring  him  to  all  the  world,  as  his  brother 
afterwards  did  Bach.  As  a  result,  he  was  placed 
under  Boyce  for  composition,  and  Joseph  Kelway 
for  organ-playing.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  we 
learn,  from  some  recollections  in  Charles  Wesley's 
handwriting,  that  he  was  summoned  to  play  before 
King  George  III  at  Buckingham  House.    He  says  : — 

I  was  full  dressed,  and  went  in  a  chair.  When  going 
through  S.  James's  Park  my  heart  went  pit-a-pat,  thinking 
I  was  going  to  the  King.  On  my  entrance  his  Majesty 
said  to  me,  "  How  your  master,  Kelway,  spoke  of  you  ! 
Here  is  an  organ,  and  a  harpsichord,  which  will  you  begin 
on  ? "  I  went  to  the  organ  ;  the  King  said,  "  Well  judged." 
His  Majesty  could  not  bear  a  pianoforte.  The  King 
called  for  any  pieces  he  chose,  and  was  surprised  I  had 
them  in  my  memory.  His  Majesty  ordered  the  Queen's 
page  to  bring  Dr.  Boyce's  Cathedral  music,  which  he  asked 
me  to  perform.  The  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  the  Queen's 
brother,  arrived,  and  said  to  the  King,  "  Vat  is  dat  ? " 
"  What,  what  ?  "  said  the  King.  "  Do  you  not  know  ? 
Any  schoolboy  could  inform  you.  It  is  '  Lord,  have 
mercy  upon  us,'  the  response  to  the  Commandments ! " 
I  found  his  Majesty  partial  to  a  response  by  Dr.  Child, 
who  was  organist  of  the  Chapel  Royal  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  L* 

*  [In  all  probability  that  in  the  "  sharp  service  "  in  D,  which,  as 
previously  narrated,  was  the  favourite  service  of  Charles  I.] 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     397 

*  Thenceforward  Charles  Wesley  was  constantly 
summoned  to  play  before  the  King  both  in  London 
and  at  Windsor,  when  the  music  selected  was  chiefly 
Handel's.  The  King  always  showed  him  marked 
attention  and  kindness.  The  organist's  place  at 
S.  Paul's  and  Westminster  Abbey  being  vacant 
during  these  visits,  Wesley  was  a  candidate,  but 
was  not  successful.  At  S.  Paul's,  when  he  sent  in 
his  name,  the  clergy  were  rude  to  him,  remarking, 
"  We  want  no  Wesleys  here."  The  King  heard  of 
the  circumstance.  On  Wesley's  next  visit  to  Wind- 
sor he  carried  with  him  a  memorial  to  the  King  on 
the  subject,  which  he  placed  in  the  King's  own 
hand.  On  reading  it,  the  King  went  up  with  it  to 
the  Queen,  saying,  "  They  will  not  give  him  any- 
thing, because  his  name  is  Wesley."  As  a  solatium 
the  King  presented  Wesley  with  ^100,  and  his  de- 
sign was  to  grant  him  the  pension  of  £200  per 
annum  which  his  former  master,  Joseph  Kelway, 
had  enjoyed.  The  return  of  the  King's  illness  pre- 
vented that  design  being  carried  out ;  but  the 
Prince  Regent,  afterwards  George  IV,  continued  to 
distinguish  the  favourite  musician  of  his  afflicted 
father,  appointing  him  his  own  organist  in  ordinary, 
and  musical  preceptor  to  his  daughter,  Princess 
Charlotte. 

For  many  years  Charles  Wesley  was  organist  of 
S.  Marylebone,  first  at  the  old,  and  afterwards  at 
the  new,  church.  He  died  at  20  Edgeware  Road, 
23  May,  1834,  aged  seventy-seven,  and  was  buried 
in  the  same  grave  with  his  parents  in  Old  Maryle- 
bone Churchyard.  He  left  his  younger  brother, 
Samuel,  the  only  survivor  of  eight  children.  "  The 
ruling  passion  "  was  so  strong  on  his  death-bed  that 
2  D 


398     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

he  was  continually  humming  Handel's  music,  and, 
fancying  he  had  his  favourite  harpsichord  before 
him,  working  his  feeble  fingers  on  the  bed-clothes  as 
though  he  were  playing  on  the  instrument,  and  that 
within  two  days  of  his  death. 

Charles  Wesley's  compositions  consisted  of  ser- 
vices, anthems,  duets  for  the  organ,  odes,  organ 
concertos,  quartetts,  overtures,  etc.  His  anthem, 
"  My  soul  hath  patiently  tarried,"*  was  published 
in  the  second  volume  of  Page's  Harmonia  Sacra  ; 
and  another,  "  O  worship  the  Lord,"  is  in  Weekes' 
Collegiate  Series.  A  duet,  "  Lord,  remember 
David,"  very  Handelian  in  character,  was  printed 
in  Hackett's  National  Psalmist  (1842),  and  psalm 
tunes  by  him  are  to  be  found  in  various  old-fashioned 
collections. 

It  is  said  that  Charles  Wesley  had  such  a  passionate 
love  for  the  organ  and  harpsichord  that  he  would 
play  from  eight  in  the  morning  till  eight  in  the 
evening,  if  not  disturbed  by  duties  or  visitors,  and 
the  only  food  he  required  was  a  few  biscuits  and  a 
glass  of  water.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Jackson,t  a  pro- 
minent Wesleyan  minister,  summed  up  his  character 
in  the  following  brief  sentence  :  "  In  music  he  was 
an  angel ;   in  everything  else,  a  child." 

Like  both  his  parents  [writes  one  of  his  biographers], 
Charles  Wesley  scarcely  knew  what  pain  and  suffering 
were,  so  far  as  they  arose  from  physical  disease.  He  had 
his  health  and  his  faculties  preserved  to  him  to  the  end  of 
life.    After  the  death  of  his  sister  he  had  no  one  to  act  as 

*  This  anthem  was  composed  in  1782  for  the  Rev.  Benjamin 
Mence,  one  of  the  minor  canons  of  S.  Paul's,  a  fine  tenor  singer. 

f  Father  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Jackson,  for  many  years  the  well- 
known  Rector  of  Stoke  Newington  and  Prebendary  of  S.  Paul's. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY     399 

guardian  to  him  and  his  property.  He  lived  in  hired 
lodgings  at  No.  20,  Edgeware  Road,  with  two  maiden 
ladies,  who  must  have  found  him  a  most  profitable  inmate. 
He  himself  had  no  knowledge  of  the  value  of  money,  and 
the  garments  in  which  he  was  clothed  were  chiefly  such  as 
he  had  worn  for  very  many  years.  One  peculiarity  in  the 
Wesley  family  seems  to  have  run  through  the  entire  race 
of  them  :  whatever  they  had,  either  in  food  or  clothing, 
it  must  be  the  best  of  its  kind.  When  his  resources  became 
very  limited,  he  was  clothed  in  garments  which  indicated 
a  fashion  of  forty  years  previously ;  hence  the  remark  of 
one  of  his  real  friends  after  a  visit,  "  He  appeared  in  the 
genteel  poverty  of  a  past  generation."* 

Charles  Wesley  was  one  of  the  early  supporters 
of  the  Concerts  of  Ancient  Music,  and  he  continued 
to  aid  them  in  every  way  he  could  to  the  end  of  his 
life.  He  was  one  of  the  Free  Members,  a  privilege 
accorded  in  acknowledgment  of  services  rendered. 
About  1820,  and  for  some  years  afterwards,  his 
nephew,  Samuel  Sebastian  Wesley,  was  in  the  choir 
of  these  concerts  as  one  of  the  choristers  of  the 
Chapel  Royal  under  William  Hawes.  S.  S.  Wesley 
remembered  his  uncle  attending  the  rehearsals,  held 
at  the  Hanover  Square  Rooms.  Only  a  few  persons 
were  present  on  these  occasions,  but  Charles  Wesley, 
on  winter  evenings,  was  generally  there,  wearing  a 
white  powdered  wig  and  dressed  in  a  large  blue 
overcoat  with  large  cape  attached,  an  antique  dress 
which  attracted  the  attention  of  the  choir.  That 
overcoat  he  had  worn  for  thirty  years,  and  his  father, 
the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley,  had  worn  it  before  him. 
In  the  winter  of  1822  the  coat  was  stolen  from  his 
residence,  and  the  owner  always  felt  he  had  lost  a 
real  friend. 

*  Memorials  of  the  Wesley  Family  (1876),  p.  467. 


400     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

It  may  be  added  that  Dr.  Johnson  had  a  high 
regard  for  Charles  Wesley,  and  he  sent  him  and  his 
mother  a  special  invitation  one  day  to  dine  with 
him  to  meet  his  uncle,  John  Wesley,  and  his  aunt, 
Mrs.  Hall,  at  his  house  in  Bolt  Court.  The  Doctor's 
note  of  invitation  is  still  preserved. 

Charles  Wesley  remembered  Dr.  Johnson  calling 
at  his  father's  and  introducing  himself  in  these 
words  :  "  I  understand,  sir,  your  boys  are  skilled 
in  music  ;  pray  let  me  hear  them."  As  soon  as  they 
began  the  Doctor  took  up  a  book  which  lay  on  the 
window-seat,  and  was  soon  absorbed  in  reading  and 
rolling.  As  soon  as  the  noise  ceased,  waking  as  if 
from  a  trance,  the  Doctor  said  :  "  Young  gentle- 
men, I  am  much  obliged  to  you,"  and  walked  away. 

At  the  opening  of  the  last  century  the  organist  of 
S.  Paul's  Cathedral  and  composer  to  the  Chapel 
Royal  was  Thomas  Attwood,  who  must  always  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  first  to  emancipate  Cathedral 
music  from  the  somewhat  stereotyped  form  which, 
up  to  his  time,  seems  to  have  been  considered  alone 
appropriate  to  it.  Indeed,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see, 
Attwood,  by  continental  study,  succeeded  in  clothing 
the  somewhat  dry  bones  of  ecclesiastical  music  with 
something  that  made  it  more  pleasant,  without  any 
detriment  to  the  reverence  and  dignity  which  the 
Church  of  England  requires  in  her  services.  In  this 
way  he  was  a  bold  pioneer,  who  fearlessly  opened  a 
new  path  in  Art. 

Thomas  Attwood  was  born  on  23  November, 
1765,  and  baptized  in  the  church  of  S.  Martin-in- 
the-Fields.  His  father,  Thomas  Attwood,  was  an 
under-page  to  King  George  III  and  a  viola  and 


JOHN    STAFFORD    SMITH. 
(See  page  377.) 


THOMAS    ATTWOOD. 


WILLIAM    HAWES. 

From  a  miniature  painted  in  1815. 

(See  page  425. 


WILLIAM    CROTCH,  Mus.D.,  Oxon. 
(See  page  444.) 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY     401 

trumpet  player  in  the  Royal  band.  He  seems  to 
have  been  a  Methodist.  Charles  Wesley,  in  his 
manuscript  journal  previously  quoted,  says  :  "  Mr. 
Attwood,  an  under-page,  was  a  Methodist,  and  used 
to  put  my  uncle's  and  father's  writings  in  the  King's 
closet,  at  which  he  was  greatly  pleased.  The  King 
once  said  to  me,  '  Your  uncle  John,  your  good 
father,  and  others  have  done  more  good  to  the 
Church  than  any  of  the  prelates  of  the  present  day.' 
This  same  page,  Attwood,  informed  me  that  the 
King  had  everywhere  erased  from  his  Prayer  Book 
the  word  c  majesty,'  applied  to  himself,  and  substi- 
tuted c  unworthy  me,'  a  genuine  instance  of  the 
pious  humility  which  characterized  the  public  devo- 
tions of  this  good  King." 

Young  Thomas  was  "  a  remarkably  pretty  boy," 
and  having  a  sweet  voice,  no  difficulty  was  experi- 
enced in  getting  him  admitted  as  one  of  the  Children 
of  the  Chapel  Royal,  where  he  had  for  his  masters 
James  Nares  and  his  successor,  Edmund  Ayrton. 
It  was  the  custom  with  the  sons  of  George  III 
to  associate  with  the  most  eminent  musicians  of 
their  time,  not  merely  as  auditors,  but  as  per- 
formers, and  thus  young  Attwood  was  thrown  into 
the  society  of  George  IV  when  Prince  of  Wales. 
The  Prince  noticed  his  enthusiasm  and  his  pro- 
ficiency while  performing  at  a  concert  at  Carlton 
House.  Further  inquiries  led  him  to  resolve  to  give 
Attwood  the  advantage  of  foreign  musical  culture, 
and  he  proposed  to  send  him  to  Italy  to  study  under 
the  celebrated  masters  of  that  country — an  offer 
gladly  accepted,  and  for  this  purpose,  as  in  the  case 
of  Charles  II  and  Pelham  Humphreys,  his  Royal 
Highness  assigned  him  a  sum  from  his  private  purse. 


402     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

In  1783  he  accordingly  went  to  Naples,  where  he 
remained  two  years,  receiving  some  instruction  from 
Fillipo  Cinque,  and  much  of  a  more  valuable  kind 
from  Gaetano  Latilla,  a  composer  of  eminence  in 
his  day.  Perceiving,  however,  the  decline  of  the 
Italian  school,  and  foreseeing  the  ascendancy  of  that 
of  Germany,  he  proceeded  to  Vienna,  and  imme- 
diately became  a  pupil  of  Mozart,  with  whom  he 
soon  formed  a  close  intimacy,  and  learnt  from  him 
not  only  the  general  principles  of  modern  com- 
position, but  also  those  secrets  of  his  art  which 
seldom  are  or  can  be  imparted,  but  at  the  favouring 
opportunities  which  daily  intercourse  and  friendly 
conversation  afford.  Michael  Kelly,  in  his  Remi- 
niscences^ says  that  Attwood  was  Mozart's  favourite 
scholar,  and  that  the  illustrious  composer  spoke  of 
his  pupil  in  the  following  terms  :  "  Attwood  is  a 
young  man  for  whom  I  have  a  sincere  affection  and 
esteem  ;  he  conducts  himself  with  great  propriety. 
I  feel  much  pleasure  in  telling  you  that  he  partakes 
more  of  my  style  than  any  scholar  I  ever  had,  and 
I  predict  that  he  will  prove  a  sound  musician." 
Many  exercises  in  harmony  and  counterpoint  which 
Mozart  corrected  are  preserved,  having  been  pre- 
sented by  Attwood  to  his  pupil,  Sir  John  Goss. 
Mozart's  notes,  written  on  the  margins  of  the  music 
paper,  are  interesting  and  amusing  ;  and  many  of 
Attwood's  notes  show  that  Mozart  enjoyed  a  game 
at  billiards  and  a  cup  of  coffee  quite  as  much  as  he 
did  the  noble  art  of  teaching  counterpoint. 

It  was  during  Attwood's  residence  at  Vienna  that 
Mozart's  Le  Nozze  de  Figaro  was  produced.  Att- 
wood was  on  the  eve  of  departing  for  England,  and 
he  remained  at  Vienna  for  the  purpose  of  witnessing 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     403 

his  master's  triumph.  Attwood  was  in  the  orchestra, 
at  Mozart's  elbow,  when  the  opera  was  first  per- 
formed, and  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  two  of 
the  characters  supported  by  natives  of  his  own 
country — Signora  Storace  and  Michael  Kelly. 

On  his  return  to  England  in  1787  Attwood  acted 
as  assistant  organist  to  C.  F.  Reinhold  at  S.  George 
the  Martyr,  Queen  Square,  and  about  the  same 
time  began  to  be  much  engaged  in  dramatic  com- 
position. Between  1792  and  1807  he  produced  the 
incidental  music  for  twenty  pieces,  among  them 
being  "  The  Prisoner,"  "  Carnarvon  Castle,"  "  The 
Adopted  Child,"  "S.  David's  Day,"  and  "  The 
Curfew."  The  excellency  of  the  music  of  these 
operettas  has  never  been  questioned,  and  some  of 
them  kept  the  stage  for  a  considerable  period  ;  but 
Attwood  never  made  any  marked  success,  on  the 
whole,  for  the  state  of  the  lyric  drama  at  that  period 
was  such  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  any  at- 
tempts towards  establishing  a  grand  national  opera. 

In  1792  Attwood  was  appointed  musical  in- 
structor to  the  Duchess  of  York,  and  three  years 
later  to  the  Princess  Charlotte  of  Wales.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  chamber  musicians  and  "  Pages  of 
the  Presence  "  in  the  household  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales.  When  the  differences  at  Carlton  House 
began  to  assume  a  serious  form  he  was  continually 
placed  in  situations  of  a  very  trying  kind,  calling  on 
him  for  the  exercise  of  that  sound  discretion  which 
never  deserted  him  from  the  earliest  to  the  latest 
period  of  his  life. 

In  February,  1796,  the  organistship  of  S.  Paul's 
Cathedral  fell  vacant  by  the  death  of  John  Jones, 
who  had  held  it  since  that  of  Dr.  Greene  in  1755, 


404     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

and  on  21  March  Attwood  was  appointed  to  the 
post  by  the  Dean  and  Chapter.  On  the  death  of 
Dr.  Dupuis,  in  July  following,  he  was  made  com- 
poser to  the  Chapel  Royal,  on  which  occasion  the 
Bishop  of  London,  Dr.  Porteus  (ex  officio  Dean  of 
the  Chapel),  separated  the  place  of  composer  from 
that  of  organist,  and  Attwood  did  not  hold  the 
latter  until  the  death  of  John  Stafford  Smith  in 
1836.  His  initial  composition  at  the  Chapel  Royal 
was  his  still  admired  Morning  and  Evening  Service 
in  F.*  In  the  following  year  he  produced  his 
anthem,  "  Teach  me,  O  Lord."  This  was  soon 
afterwards  inserted  by  John  Page  in  his  Harmonia 
Sacra.  As  organist  of  S.  Paul's,  he  presided  at  the 
instrument  at  the  state  funeral  of  Lord  Nelson  on 
9  January,  1806,  composing  for  the  occasion  a  Dirge 
in  D  minor.  In  1 814  he  wrote  three  anthems,  all 
of  them  fine  specimens  of  counterpoint — "  Grant, 
we  beseech  Thee,"  "  O  Lord,  we  beseech  Thee," 
and  "  O  God,  who  by  the  leading  of  a  star,"  the 
last-named  for  use  at  the  service  held  at  the  Chapel 
Royal  on  the  Feast  of  the  Epiphany,  when  the 
symbolical  offerings  of  gold,  frankincense,  and 
myrrh  were  made  by  the  Sovereign. 

In  September,  1817,  he  wrote  his  verse  anthem, 
"  Teach  me  Thy  way,"  containing  a  fine  bass  solo 
in  B  minor.    In  the  same  year  he  composed,  for  the 

*  The  Evening  Service  was  first  printed  by  John  Page  in  the 
book  of  music  compiled  by  him  for  use  at  the  funeral  of  Lord 
Nelson  in  1806.  In  1844  the  service  was  published  in  its  entirety, 
when  it  formed  No.  8  of  a  collection  then  in  course  of  edition  by 
John  Goss  and  James  Turle.  In  1 85  1  it  was  included  by  Professor 
Walmisley  in  his  collection  of  Attwood's  Cathedral  Music.  These 
two  copies  vary  from  each  other  in  some  places.  Novello's 
modern  octavo  edition  follows  the  reading  of  Goss  and  Turle. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th    CENTURY     405 

Chapel  Royal,  a  setting  of  the  Sanctus  and  Kyrie 
in  F.  This  was  published  by  J.  Power,  of  34  Strand. 
Later  on  he  produced  his  expressive  anthem,  "  Turn 
Thee  again,  O  Lord,  at  the  last,"  for  the  special 
service  held  at  S.  Paul's  on  Wednesday,  17  Novem- 
ber, being  the  day  of  the  interment  at  Windsor  of 
the  lamented  Princess  Charlotte.  This  was  subse- 
quently printed  by  Welsh  and  Hawes  at  the  Royal 
Harmonic  Institution,  Regent  Street.  The  Princess 
was  exceedingly  fond  of  Attwood's  compositions,  so 
much  so,  indeed,  that  she  frequently  carried  them 
about  with  her.  Being  on  a  visit  to  her  tutor,  Dr. 
Fisher,  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  on  New  Year's  Day, 
1 8 16,  she  presented  to  Mr.  A.  T.  Corfe,  then 
organist  of  the  Cathedral,  a  very  beautiful  MS. 
setting  of  the  Sanctus  and  Kyrie  in  E,  by  Attwood. 
These  movements  were  also  published  by  Welsh  and 
Hawes,  and  reprinted  in  1861  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Richard- 
son, then  assistant  to  Mr.  A.  T.  Corfe,  and  after- 
wards (1863)  his  successor,  in  a  collection  of  such 
pieces  compiled  by  him. 

For  the  Coronation  of  George  IV,  on  19  July, 
1 82 1,  Attwood  was  required  officially  to  compose 
an  anthem,  and  he  produced  his  clever  and  effective 
composition,  "  I  was  glad."  This  restored  him  to 
the  notice  of  his  early  patron,  who  seemed  for  some 
years  to  have  lost  sight  of  him.  The  King,  however, 
madejamends  for^the  neglect  shown  by  him  as 
Prince  ] [Regent ;  [he  saw  his  first  [  protege  *  fre- 
quently, and  appointed  him  organistfat  his  J  new 
private  chapel  in  the  Pavilion  at  Brighton, ^con- 
secrated on  ii  January,  1822.  The  anthem,  "I 
was  glad,"  was!  published  in  full  score.  An  alter- 
native anthem,  "  Let  Thy  hand  be  strengthened," 


406     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

written  for  the  same  coronation,  remains  in 
manuscript. 

In  May,  1821,  Attwood  took  a  villa  on  Beulah 
Hill,  Norwood,  where  he  resided  until  December, 
1834,  when  he  removed  to  17  Cheyne  Walk, 
Chelsea.  His  neighbour  at  No.  3  was  his  pupil  and 
afterwards  successor  at  S.  Paul's,  John  Goss. 

In  1823  Attwood  composed  and  published  an 
anthem,  "My  soul  truly  waiteth."*  This  has  a 
charming  treble  solo ;  indeed,  Attwood  seems 
almost  exclusively  to  have  favoured  this  class  of 
voice  in  his  solos.  A  setting  of  the  Morning  and 
Evening  Service  in  A  was  Attwood's  principal 
Church  composition  in  1825.  In  January,  1827, 
he  wrote  an  anthem,  "  Withdraw  not  Thou  Thy 
mercy,"  with  another  expressive  treble  solo  between 
the  four-voiced  opening  and  concluding  movements. 

For  the  coronation  of  King  William  IV  and 
Queen  Adelaide  in  Westminster  Abbey  on  8  Sep- 
tember, 1 83 1,  Attwood  wrote  his  anthem,  "  O  Lord, 
grant  the  King  a  long  life."  This  was  published  by 
J.  Alfred  Novello  in  full  score. 

Between  1830  and  1833  he  contributed  six  double 
chants  and  a  setting,  in  GJmajor,  of  the  Sanctus 
and  Kyrie  Eleison  to  a  collection  then  appearing  in 
periodical  numbers  under  the  editorship  of  William 
Hawes,  of  the  Chapel  Royal  and  S.  Paul's.  To  this 
period  also  belongs  a  very  beautiful  solo  anthem, 
"  Bow  down  Thine  ear,"  written  expressly  for  the 
voice  of  Miss  Clara  Novello.  This  composition  has 
recently  been  introduced  at  S.  Paul's.  Following 
the  example  of  Thomas  Weelkes  and  Matthew 
Locke,  he  set  the  Decalogue  Responses  to  varied 

*   Reprinted  in  1907,  in  octavo  form,  by  Novello. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH   CENTURY     407 

music.  The  printed  copy  of  this  setting,  which  is 
in  the  keys  of  G  major  and  minor,  bears  a  dedication 
to  Mrs.  Hughes,  wife  of  the  Rev.  T.  S.  Hughes,  d.d., 
one  of  the  Canons  Residentiary  of  S.  Paul's.  In 
1 83 1  he  produced  his  celebrated  Cantate  Domino 
and  Deus  Misereatur  in  D,  with  orchestral  accom- 
paniment, for  that  year's  Festival  of  the  Sons  of  the 
Clergy  in  S.  Paul's.  In  the  following  year  he  com- 
posed his  Morning  and  Evening  Service  in  C,  and 
added  the  ^e  Deum  and  Jubilate  to  his  Festival 
Service  in  D. 

Attwood's  representative  composition  is  con- 
sidered by  many  to  be  his  setting  of  the  hymn  in 
the  Ordination  Service,  "  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our 
souls  inspire."  As  the  story  of  its  production  is 
interesting,  it  may  be  told  in  this  place. 

An  Ordination  was  to  be  held  at  S.  Paul's  on 
Trinity  Sunday,  1831,  and  only  on  the  preceding 
Friday  had  the  Bishop  of  London  (Dr.  Blomfield), 
whose  taste  in  Church  music  was  good,  requested 
Attwood  to  set  the  hymn  Veni  Creator  to  music 
especially  for  the  solemn  occasion. 

It  was  Attwood's  custom  to  drive  to  and  from 
Norwood  and  S.  Paul's  in  a  gig  drawn  by  "  Peggy," 
a  steady-going  pony,  his  route  lying  through  the 
then  village  of  Norwood,  past  S.  Luke's  (the  new 
church),  through  Tulse  Hill,  Brixton  Road,  and 
Kennington  turnpike,  and  so  across  Blackfriars 
Bridge  to  the  Cathedral. 

Now,  at  Union  Cottage,  Cranmer  Road,  North 
Brixton,  lived  Master  J.  G.  Boardman,  a  promising 
young  chorister  of  S.  Paul's  under  that  terribly 
stern  Almoner  and  Master,  William  Hawes.  At 
that  time  the  eight  S.  Paul's  boys  (who,  with  the 


408     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

ten  Children  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  lived  at  Mr. 
Hawes'  house  on  the  Adelphi  Terrace)  were  occa- 
sionally allowed  on  Saturday  nights  to  sleep  at  their 
homes,  and  so  it  came  about  that  Boardman  was 
usually  waiting  near  the  cottage  where  he  lived 
about  the  time  he  knew  Attwood  would  pass  on 
Sunday  mornings.  The  amiable  organist,  who 
was  kindness  personified,  especially  towards  young 
people,  would  invariably  give  Master  Boardman  a 
"  lift  "  to  the  Cathedral.  On  this  particular  Sunday 
the  gig  appeared  in  sight,  at  a  walking  pace,  with  its 
occupant  busily  engaged  in  writing,  the  reins  thrown 
over  the  back  of  Peggy,  who  knew  her  way  to 
S.  Paul's  as  well  as  her  master  knew  his.  It  turned 
out  that  Attwood  was  putting  the  final  touches  to 
his  Ordination  Hymn,  for  it  was,  on  this  occasion, 
to  be  sung  as  a  solo  throughout,  time  not  having 
allowed  for  the  completion  of  the  verse  and  chorus 
parts.  Placing  the  copy  of  the  solo  in  Boardman's 
hands,  he  told  him  he  meant  him  to  sing  it  at  that 
morning's  service.  The  young  chorister,  without 
any  previous  rehearsal,  did  so,  and  acquitted  him- 
self to  the  complete  satisfaction  not  only  of  the 
amiable  composer,  but  also  to  that  of  the  good 
Bishop  himself.* 

Such  is  the  origin  of  the  composition  of  that 
touching  little  "  Hymn  for  Whitsuntide,"  which 
may  now  be  said  to  have  found  its  way  into  all 
lands  wherever  the  English  choral  service  is  heard. 
It  was  shortly  afterwards  published  by  Novello, 
with  the  quartett  and  chorus  added.  The  Master 
J.   G.   Boardman   who   "  created  "   this  solo  after- 

*  These  facts  were  communicated  to  me  by  Mr.  Boardman  him- 
self, shortly  before  his  death  in  July,  1898. — J.  S.  B. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     409 

wards  became  one  of  the  best-known  London 
organists. 

How  Attwood  must  have  enjoyed  his  drives  down 
to  S.  Paul's  from  the  Surrey  hills  in  the  quietude 
of  the  calm  Sabbath  mornings  of  early  summer,  the 
trees  in  the  gardens  surrounding  the  villas  border- 
ing the  high  roads,  and  with  which  London  was 
then  beginning  to  be  "  begirt,"  all  aglow  with  haw- 
thorn, lilac,  wistaria,  and  laburnum  !  These  Sunday 
journeyings,  as  well  as  those  in  later  life  through  the 
quiet  London  streets  from  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea, 
where  he  ended  his  days,  doubtless  inspired  him 
with  many  a  thought  for  several  of  his  beautiful 
compositions. 

Attwood's  labours  as  composer  to  the  Chapel 
Royal  were  prompted  by  a  sense  of  duty  and  a  love 
of  his  art.  From  the  official  dignitaries  of  the 
Chapel  he,  however,  experienced  only  discourage- 
ment. His  first  service,  that  in  F,  alone  appeared 
in  the  choir  books ;  the  parts  of  his  other  services 
he  was  compelled  to  have  copied  at  his  own  expense, 
and  they  remained  in  his  possession  until  his  death. 
When  he  had  finished  his  second  Coronation 
anthem,  a  similar  objection  was  made  to  the  ex- 
pense of  having  the  necessary  orchestral  parts 
transcribed,  and  it  was  only  in  consequence  of  his 
declared  intention  of  appealing  directly  to  the  King 
that  the  composition  was  prepared  for  performance. 
When  engaged  in  writing  his  first  Coronation 
anthem  he  received  an  intimation  from  the  same 
quarter  that  it  was  not  to  exceed  seven  minutes  in 
length,  an  injunction  which,  to  a  man  of  Attwood's 
character  and  station,  was  equally  rude  and  bar- 
barous. 


4io     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

In  1834-5  he  wrote  for  Sacred  Minstrelsy  (a  col- 
lection of  music  published  in  monthly  numbers 
under  the  editorship  of  William  Ayrton)  two  of  his 
best -known  shorter  anthems — "Enter  not  into 
judgment"  and  "  Turn  Thy  face  from  my  sins."* 
In  1835  and  1837  he  produced  two  more  anthems — 
"  Let  the  words  of  my  mouth  "  and  "  They  that 
go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships  " — together  with  a 
Morning  and  Evening  Service  in  B^.f  He  also  pro- 
jected an  anthem  for  the  Coronation  of  Queen 
Victoria.  In  1836  he  was,  without  solicitation, 
chosen  by  Bishop  Blomfield  to  succeed  John  Stafford 
Smith  as  organist  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  but  it  was 
willed  that  he  should  enjoy  this  last  tribute  to  his 
merit  only  a  short  time.  Soon  after  Christmas,  1 837, 
he  was  attacked  by  a  malady  which  required  prompt 
treatment ;     but,    unhappily    for    his    family    and 

*  The  autograph  of  "  Turn  Thy  face  from  my  sins  "  is  in  the 
possession  of  Mr.  John  Foster,  late  Gentleman  of  the  Chapel 
Royal  and  Lay  Vicar  of  Westminster  Abbey. 

f  This  service  was  never  published,  but  a  manuscript  score 
is  in  my  possession.  It  was  made  for  me  from  one  belonging  to 
Canterbury  Cathedral,  attached  to  which  is  the  following  note  : 
"The  appropriation  of  this  copy  to  Mr.  Auvvood's  own  use  was 
prevented  by  his  lamented  death  on  24th  March,  1838."  Att- 
wood  had  probably  lent  it  to  the  then  Precentor  of  Canterbury 
(Rev.  Joshua  Stratton)  for  the  purpose  of  transcription.  It  is 
singular  that  this  service  was  overlooked  by  Walmisley  when 
publishing  his  edition  of  Attwood's  Cathedral  music.  It  is 
thoroughly  characteristic  of  its  composer,  and  contains  many 
passages  of  singular  beauty.  Two  anthems  by  Attwood  are 
still  unpublished  in  vocal  score,  one,  "Be  Thou  my  judge," 
written  for  the  Chapel  Royal  in  1800,  the  other,  "Blessed  is 
he  that  considereth,"  for  the  Anniversary  Meeting  of  the  Charity 
Children  in  S.  Paul's,  1804.  Organ  arrangements  of  both  may, 
however,  be  found  in  Vincent  Novello's  Cathedral  Voluntaries 
(1831) J.  S.  B. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     411 

friends,  his  predilection  for  a  new  system  of  medicine 
prevented  his  having  recourse  to  sanctioned  reme- 
dies till  his  disease  had  attained  the  mastery  and  his 
case  had  become  hopeless.  He  died  at  17  Cheyne 
Walk,  Chelsea,  on  Saturday,  24  March,  1838,  aged 
seventy-three,  and  a  week  later  was  buried,  as  he 
wished,  "  under  his  own  organ "  in  S.  Paul's 
Cathedral.  His  funeral  was  thus  described  by  an 
eye-witness  of  the  ceremony  : — 

No  sooner  was  the  decease  of  this  truly  excellent  and 
universally-beloved  member  of  the  musical  profession  made 
public,  than  an  ardent  desire  was  evinced  to  pay  every 
demonstration  of  respect  to  his  memory.  It  had,  however, 
been  determined  that  the  funeral  ceremonial  should  be 
strictly  private ;  still  the  hour  of  interment  having  tran- 
spired, there  was  a  prompt  and  affectionate  feeling  mani- 
fested that  he  who  had  dignified  the  art  by  his  private 
virtues  should  not  descend  to  the  tomb  unhonoured  or 
unreverenced.  Accordingly,  on  Saturday  afternoon,  ere 
the  bell  had  given  warning  of  the  approaching  solemnity, 
the  choir  of  S.  Paul's  was  thronged  with  anxious  faces, 
and  by  the  time  the  procession  entered  the  great  western 
door,  a  multitude  had  assembled  which  seemed  to  include 
almost  every  musical  character  (whether  amateur  or  pro- 
fessional) in  the  metropolis.  As  the  body  was  conveyed 
to  the  choir,  the  solemn  tones  of  the  organ  pealed  forth, 
and  the  united  choirs  of  S.  Paul's,  Westminster  Abbey, 
and  the  Chapel  Royal,  numbering  some  50  voices,  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Hawes,  commenced  the  funeral 
service  of  Dr.  Croft.  The  coffin  being  placed  in  the 
middle  of  the  choir,  the  Evening  Service  was  performed, 
including  the  solemn  chant  in  G  minor  by  Purcell,  to  the 
39th  and  90th  Psalms.  The  beautiful  Magnificat  and 
Nunc  Dimittis  in  F,  composed  by  the  deceased,  was  sung, 
agreeably  to  his  expressed  desire,  and  the  anthem,  Greene's 
"Lord,  let  me  know  mine  end,"  with  the  solemn 
processional   bass  stalking   through    the  entire  movement 


412     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

produced  a  fine  effect.  The  corpse  then,  preceded  and 
attended  as  before,  the  organ  sounding  the  Dead  March  in 
Saul,  was  conveyed  through  a  crowd  so  numerous  and 
dense  that  the  procession  only  moved  by  aid  of  the  police 
to  the  crypt,  which,  with  the  great  staircase  leading  to  it, 
was  illuminated ;  and  the  reading  of  the  remaining  portion 
of  the  funeral  service  by  the  Rev.  J.  Clarke  Haden,  one  of 
the  Minor  Canons,  concluded  the  impressive  ceremony. 
The  choir-organ  and  gallery  should  have  been  covered 
with  those  sable  emblems  of  mortality,  which  would  have 
been  a  becoming  token  of  respect  to  the  office,  no  less 
than  to  the  memory,  of  an  individual  who  had,  for  nearly 
half  a  century,  fulfilled  its  duties.  The  remains  of  the 
deceased  were  attended  by  the  relatives  and  a  few  intimate 
friends.  Amongst  those  of  his  professional  acquaintance, 
who  appeared  to  feel  most  acutely  this  bereavement,  were 
Sir  George  Smart  and  Mr.  Horsley,  both  of  whom  were 
unable  to  repress  the  emotions  of  sorrow  which  the  scene 
inspired. 

"  It  will  not  be  easy  to  supply  his  place  either  in 
point  of  musical  talent  or  of  moral  worth  "  (wrote 
the  Dean  of  S.  Paul's — Dr.  Copleston,  Bishop  of 
Llandaff — in  a  letter  of  condolence  to  Attwood's 
second  son,  the  Rev.  George  Attwood,  rector  of 
Framlingham).  "  He  was,"  continued  the  well- 
judging  prelate,  "  a  sincerely  religious  and  con- 
scientious man  ;  and  this  consideration  ought  soon 
to  reconcile  his  family  to  the  loss — for  he  is  doubtless 
gone  to  his  reward." 

A  plain  flagstone  marks  Attwood's  resting-place 
in  the  solemn  underchurch  of  S.  Paul's.  It  is  near 
the  iron  gates  leading  into  the  Wellington  Chapel. 
In  1900  the  original  inscription  had,  by  the  constant 
tread  of  passing  feet,  become  almost  obliterated. 
It  was  then  substantially  recut,  and  now  runs  as 
follows  : — 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     413 

UNDER   THIS    STONE 

LIE   THE 

MORTAL    REMAINS    OF 

THOMAS   ATTWOOD 

WHO    WAS    APPOINTED 

ORGANIST 

OF    THIS    CATHEDRAL,    1 796. 

HE    DEPARTED    THIS    LIFE 

THE    24TH    MARCH,    1 838, 

IN    THE    73RD    YEAR    OF    HIS    AGE. 


"  TURN    THEE    AGAIN,    O    LORD,    AT   THE    LAST, 
AND    BE    GRACIOUS    UNTO    THY    SERVANT." 


t 


The  verse  from  the  90th  Psalm  and  the  incised 
cross  did  not  form  parts  of  the  original  inscription, 
but  were  added  in  1900. 

Attwood  was  a  man  of  sincere  piety — a  "  highly 
esteemed  and  amiable  Christian,"  as  a  former  well- 
known  Dean's  Verger  of  S.  Paul's  was  wont  to 
allude  to  him. 

"  When  engaged  in  the  composition  of  music  for 
the  Church,  Attwood  always  felt  that  he  was  em- 
ploying the  genius  given  to  him  by  God  for  the 
noblest  purpose  to  which  it  could  be  devoted — His 
service  ;  and  his  great  aim  and  hope  were  that  he 
might  be  enabled  to  praise  Him  worthily.  When 
Church  music  is  written  under  the  influence  of  such 
feelings  as  these,  we  may  never  fear  that  it  will 
2  E 


4H     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

prove  an  unworthy  or  unimportant  addition  to  the 
treasures  that  we  already  possess ;  nor  will  any  one 
be  rash  enough  to  assert  that  because  a  composition 
is  not  exactly  framed  upon  the  models  of  Tallis  and 
Gibbons,  it  is  not  therefore  to  be  styled  c  Ecclesi- 
astical.' The  c  beautiful '  is  for  all  time,  though  the 
forms  through  which  it  is  manifested  may  be  as 
diverse  as  the  minds  which  produce  them." 

Thus  wrote  Attwood's  godson  and  pupil,  Thomas 
Attwood  Walmisley,  when  editing  his  master's  un- 
published Cathedral  music  in  185 1.  This  volume 
contains  the  four  services  in  A,  C,  D,  and  F  ;  the 
eight  anthems,  "  Teach  me,  O  Lord,"  "  O  God, 
Who  by  the  leading  of  a  star,"*  "  Grant,  we  beseech 
Thee,"  "  O  Lord,  we  beseech  Thee,"  "  Teach  me 
Thy  way,"  "  Withdraw  not  Thou  Thy  mercy," 
"  Let  the  words  of  my  mouth,"  and  "  They  that 
go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,"  together  with  nine 
double  chants.  With  regard  to  the  services  and 
anthems  in  this  volume,  although  written  during 
the  first  thirty  years  of  the  last  century,  they  were, 
with  two  exceptions,  not  published,  nor,  in  fact, 
generally  known  to  have  been  in  existence,  until 
Walmisley  brought  them  out,  as  above,  in  collected 
form.  Consequently,  until  their  publication,  they 
could  have  had  but  little  effect  in  bringing  about 
a  change  in  the  character  of  our  Church  music  ; 
but  now  that  they  have  had  a  fair  trial,  the  influence 
they  have  exerted  has  been  most  wholesome  and 
beneficial ;   for  they  are  melodious  to  a  degree,  they 

*  This  anthem,  composed  for  the  Festival  of  the  Epiphany  at 
the  Chapel  Royal  in  18 14,  had  been  previously  printed  in  a 
collection  of  sacred  music  made  in  1837  by  Henry  Haycraft, 
a.r.a.m.,  organist  of  the  church  of  S.  Petrock,  Exeter. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    415 

follow  the  varying  sentiments  of  the  words  with 
scrupulous  fidelity,  and  their  amiability  reflects  the 
character  of  their  composer. 

The  settings  of  the  Gloria  Patri  are  marked  fea- 
tures in  all  Attwood's  services.  Those  to  the  Even- 
ing Service  in  F  are  in  canon  form,  and  those  to  the 
Morning  and  Evening  Services  in  A  and  D  are 
charming  combinations  of  fine  melody  and  learned 
counterpoint.  Perhaps  Attwood's  nearest  approach 
to  the  continental  mass  style  may  be  perceived  in 
his  Evening  Service  in  C.  No  admirer  of  this  par- 
ticular style  of  Church  music  can  listen  to  the  Gloria 
of  the  Magnificat,  with  its  Mozart-like  independent 
accompaniment,  or  to  the  bold  and  tuneful  subject 
of  the  fugue,  and  the  glorious  outbursts  of  trium- 
phant harmony  with  which  that  to  the  Nunc 
Dimittis  concludes,  without  experiencing  a  certain 
thrill  of  emotion. 

None  of  Attwood's  services  contain  the  Nicene 
Creed,  and  for  this  reason  :  the  singing  of  it  had 
been  discontinued  at  S.  Paul's  and  the  Chapel 
Royal  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  or  early  in  the 
last  century.  Probably  the  two  last  Chapel  Royal 
musicians  to  set  it  in  their  services  were  Ayrton  and 
Dupuis.  Until  about  1842,  when  the  singing  of  the 
Creed  was  revived  at  S.  Paul's,  the  only  portions  of 
the  Communion  Service  chorally  rendered  were  the 
Sanctus  and  the  Kyrie  Eleison,  the  former  as  an 
Introit.  One  is  extremely  curious  to  know  how 
Attwood  would  have  treated  the  Creed.  No  doubt 
he  would  have  given  great  force  and  expression  to 
the  various  articles. 

As  we  have  seen,  Attwood  received  his  early 
musical  education  in  the  choir  of  the  Chapel  Royal 


416     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

under  English  musicians.  That  this  education  was 
extended  and  completed  under  foreign  masters  is 
visible  in  the  numerous  compositions  which  he 
wrote  from  time  to  time  for  the  Church.  The 
union  of  these  styles  produced  a  third,  which  may 
fairly  be  given  to  him  as  his  own.  It  made  an 
agreeable  variety,  without  departing  much  from 
the  manner  and  gravity  of  that  harmony  which  one 
could  always  wish  to  remain  as  the  foundation  of 
all  our  devotional  music. 

It  is  said  that  Attwood's  Italian  education  and 
want  of  intimacy  with  the  great  Teutonic  school  of 
ecclesiastical  music,  as  exhibited  in  the  works  of 
Sebastian  Bach,  led  him  to  dislike  the  energetic 
dissonances  derived  from  the  organ ;  hence  his 
Church  vocal  music,  although  marked  by  a  serene 
and  elegant  outline,  lacked  something  of  that 
unction  and  raciness  of  spirit  which  distinguished 
the  same  effusions  of  his  friend  and  contemporary, 
Samuel  Wesley.  The  intricacies  of  counterpoint 
he  had  perfectly  overcome,  but  he  had  not  a  mind 
of  the  character  which  leads  its  possessor  to  mould 
out  of  old  conceptions  the  shapings  of  new  and 
great  thoughts.  His  strength  lay  in  the  elegance  of 
his  cantilena  and  the  pure  orchestral  structure  of 
his  harmonies.  His  services  in  A,  C,  D,  and  F  (and 
especially  his  Cantate  Domino),  and  his  anthems, 
"  Be  Thou  my  judge,"  "  Teach  me,  O  Lord," 
"  They  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,"  and 
"  Withdraw  not  Thou  Thy  mercy,"  as  well  as  his 
two  Coronation  anthems,  are  models  for  correctness 
and  chasteness  which  stood  unequalled  at  the 
period  of  their  composition.  WThat  he  wrote  and 
published  under  his  own  name  was  really  and  truly 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     417 

his  own,  the  result  of  his  thoughts  matured  by 
reflection. 

As  an  organist  Attwood  was  not  eminent.  At 
S.  Paul's  he  was  placed  somewhat  in  the  shade  by 
his  assistants,  Edward  Sturges  and  the  two  Coopers. 
In  fact,  he  often  modestly  expressed  his  inability  to 
do  adequate  justice  to  the  king  of  instruments. 
Not  having  studied  the  organ  compositions  of  Bach, 
he,  for  a  long  period,  adopted  the  opinions  of  Dr. 
Burney  respecting  the  greatest  of  organ  composers. 
But  his  friend  Mendelssohn's  performance  at 
S.  Paul's  and  elsewhere  of  Bach's  music  at  once 
dispersed  the  mist  from  his  understanding,  and 
afterwards  none  could  dilate  with  more  fervour  or 
rapture  on  the  inimitable  fugues  of  this  great  master 
than  the  distinguished  organist  of  S.  Paul's  and  the 
Chapel  Royal. 

Attwood's  serious  feeling  was  profound,  and  no- 
where (after  his  more  elaborate  Church  composi- 
tions) is  this  better  displayed  than  in  the  numerous 
sacred  songs  and  duets  contributed  by  him  to 
various  collections  or  published  singly.  Among 
these  may  be  mentioned  four  treble  solos  written 
for  his  pupil  John  Goss's  publication,  The  Sacred 
Minstrel,  between  1833  and  1835  :  "  God,  that 
madest  earth  and  heaven,"  "  Lord,  Thou  wilt  hear 
me  when  I  pray,"  "  Lord,  in  the  morning  Thou 
shalt  hear,"  and  "  Shine,  mighty  God,  on  Britain  "  ; 
two  songs,  "  O  power  supreme  "  and  "  Sacred  star 
of  evening,"  published  in  Pettet's  Sacred  Music, 
1826  ;  two  songs  published  separately,  "  Behold  the 
Babe  "  (a  Christmas  hymn)  and  "  Sunday  morn- 
ing "  ;  and  two  duets,  "  Songs  of  praise  the  angels 
sang  "  and  "  There  is  an  eye  that  never  sleeps." 


4i8     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Several  psalm  tunes  which  he  contributed  to  such 
collections  as  Goss's  Parochial  Psalmody  (1832), 
Cope's  Psalmodia  Britannica,  and  the  "  Mitre " 
Hymn  Book,  compiled  by  the  Rev.  W.  J.  Hall, 
Minor  Canon  of  S.  Paul's,  under  the  sanction  of  the 
Bishop  of  London — a  book  at  one  time  extensively 
used — are  characteristic  specimens  of  his  style. 

Attwood  wrote  a  number  of  glees,  principally  for 
the  Concentores'  and  Harmonists'  Societies.  In  many 
of  these  compositions  he  favoured  an  independent 
pianoforte  accompaniment,  such  as  "  The  Curfew," 
"  The  First  of  May,"  "  In  peace  love  tunes  the 
shepherd's  reed,"  and  "  In  this  fair  vale."  Tom 
Cooke's  "  Hohenlinden  "  and  "  Fill  me,  boy,"  and 
Sir  John  Stevenson's  "  Give  me  the  harp  of  epic 
song,"  are  compositions  in  the  same  style. 

Attwood  published  a  collection  of  nine  of  his 
glees,  dedicated  to  the  Duke  of  Sussex,  President  of 
the  Harmonists'  Society.  Other  glees  by  Attwood, 
such  as  "  Christmas  Eve,"  "  There  is  a  mild  and 
tranquil  light,"  "  Charity,"  and  "  When  clouds 
that  angel  face  deform,"  are  in  the  true  glee  style 
— that  is,  without  accompaniment.  All  abound  in 
that  captivating  melody  which  never  fails  to  touch 
the  heart. 

Of  Attwood's  single  songs  and  ballads  a  long  list 
might  be  given.  Two,  however,  stand  out  promi- 
nently :  "  Too  late  !  " — set  to  words  expressly 
written  by  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Barham,  Minor  Canon 
of  S.  Paul's  and  author  of  The  Ingoldsby  Legends — 
and  "  The  soldier's  dream,"  by  Thomas  Campbell. 

Other  secular  compositions  by  Attwood  especially 
deserving  of  mention  are  four  vocal  trios — "  In 
liquid  notes,  as  music  floats,"  "  Hark  !  the  distant 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    419 

village  peal,"  "  Qual  silenzio  bella  pace,"  and  "  La 
solitudine  "  ;  a  march  and  waltz,  with  flute  and 
harp  accompaniment ;  and  a  sonata  in  B^  for  piano, 
violin,  and  'cello,  revived  at  a  concert  given  by  the 
Cambridge  University  Musical  Club,  29  October, 
1892. 

In  Attwood's  character  were  combined  qualities 
which  commanded  the  respect  and  won  the  affec- 
tion of  those  who  were  associated  with  him  either 
by  family  ties,  by  professional  intercourse,  or  by  the 
relations  of  instructor  and  pupil.  He  delighted, 
from  his  copious  store  of  knowledge  and  experience, 
to  guide  and  animate  the  young,  even  the  youngest 
musical  student. 

A  kind  old  friend,  Mr.  Arthur  Walmisley  (youngest 
brother  of  Thomas  Attwood  Walmisley,  the  Cam- 
bridge Professor  of  Music,  Attwood's  godson  and 
favourite  pupil)  recently  wrote  : — 

I  was  favoured  by  Mr.  Thos.  Attwood  several  times  to 
be  in  the  organ-loft  at  S.  Paul's  and  the  Chapel  Royal. 
On  one  occasion,  at  the  latter  place,  he  took  me  to  the 
Athenaeum  Club,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  shewed 
me  over  it.  He  generally  lunched  there  (or  at  my  father's 
house  in  Cowley  Street,  Westminster)  on  Sunday,  before 
he  returned  to  his  afternoon  duty  at  S.  Paul's.  I  have  a 
vivid  recollection  of  my  last  walk  with  him,  to  see  him 
home  at  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea.  It  was  only  a  week  be- 
fore his  death,  and  I  was  at  his  funeral  in  S.  Paul's,  a 
fortnight  later,  with  Mr.  Withall,  the  Cathedral  solicitor. 
We  were  both  most  interested,  and  felt  his  loss  acutely. 
I  particularly  so,  as  I  happened  to  be  a  favourite  of  his — 
he  always  called  me  "Prince  Arthur" — though  undeser- 
vedly, for  the  musical  genius  was  not  rife  in  me,  but  I 
liked  to  be  permitted  to  be  in  the  organ-loft  at  S.  Paul's 
and  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  pull  out  the  stops,  as  directed. 
Those  days  were  happy  ones,  never  alas  !  to  return. 


420     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

The  genial  old  organist  and  composer  was  an 
especial  favourite  with  Mr.  Hawes'  boys  at  S.  Paul's 
and  the  Chapel  Royal.  The  late  Dr.  E.  J.  Hopkins, 
in  an  interesting  paper,  Personal  Reminiscences  and 
Recollections,  read  in  1886  before  the  College  of 
Organists,  thus  alludes  to  some  of  his  little  acts  of 
kindness  and  encouragement  : — 

As  composer  to  the  Chapel  Royal,  Attwood  wrote  an 
anthem  for  the  coronation  of  William  IV,  in  Westminster 
Abbey  on  September  8,  183 1,  and  when,  by  the  way,  I 
was  present  as  a  chorister.  The  anthem  was  written  to 
words  commencing,  "  O  Lord,  grant  the  King  a  long  life." 
It  is  preceded  by  an  instrumental  introduction,  which,  after 
being  played  through  forte  is  repeated  piano,  and  on  the 
second  occasion  the  nautical  air,  "  Rule,  Britannia,"  appears, 
and  is  played  by  extra  horns  and  trumpets  in  D,  in  octaves, 
forte.  Shortly  after  its  performance  on  the  occasion  for 
which  it  was  written,  it  was  repeated  at  a  meeting  of  a 
private  society  called  the  Concentores. 

After  dinner,  copies  of  the  new  anthem  were  handed 
round  to  the  members  as  they  sat  at  the  table ;  Attwood 
and  Sir  George  Smart  took  their  seats  at  the  pianoforte  to 
play  the  accompaniment  as  a  duet  for  four  hands ;  behind 
them  stood  three  or  four  alto  singers  who  were  to  hum 
"Rule,  Britannia"  on  the  repetition  of  the  symphony,  and 
my  companion  and  I  stood  immediately  to  Attwood's  right. 
When  the  symphony  was  being  played  through  a  second 
time,  I  was  so  delighted  with  the  ingenious  way  in  which 
the  nautical  tune  was  interwoven,  that  I  could  not  help 
saying  to  my  companion,  in  a  somewhat  more  audible  tone 
than  I  intended,  "  Oh,  is  it  not  nice !  "  The  performance 
proceeded  ;  terminated  ;  and  was  followed  by  a  tumultuous 
round  of  applause.  Attwood  briefly  bowed  his  acknow- 
ledgments, and  before  the  sound  had  fairly  died  away  he 
turned  to  me  quickly  and  enquired,  "What  was  that  you 
said  to  the  other  boy  just  now  ? "  Scared  on  finding  that 
my  observation  had  been  overheard,  I  simply  did  not  reply. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    421 

Attwood,  perceiving  my  embarrassment,  with  a  kind  look 
said,  "  Do  not  be  afraid !  I  am  not  going  to  scold.  Did 
you  not  say,  '  Oh,  is  it  not  nice  ? ' "  With  a  still  somewhat 
disturbed  feeling  I  acknowledged  "  Yes."  "  Well,"  he 
went  on  to  say,  "  I  am  very  glad  to  find  that  some  of  you 
choir-boys  take  so  much  interest  in  the  music  you  have  to 
sing."  Then,  taking  the  copy  from  the  pianoforte  music- 
desk  and  placing  it  in  my  hands,  he  said,  "  Accept  this 
copy  of  my  new  anthem,  which  Sir  George  Smart  and  I 
have  been  playing  from,"  and  then,  turning  to  the  other 
boy,  he  added,  "  And  I  will  bring  you  a  copy  with  me  to 
the  Cathedral  on  Sunday  next,"  which  he  faithfully  did. 

Dr.  Hopkins  gave  in  the  same  paper  another  in- 
teresting instance  : — 

During  the  last  three  years  of  my  school-days,  as  I 
chanced  to  be  the  leading  singing-boy  in  the  Chapel  Royal 
choir,  my  master  (Mr.  Hawes)  made  me  do  double  work 
on  a  Sunday  by  sending  me  to  sing  at  S.  Paul's  as  well  as 
fulfil  my  own  duties  at  S.  James's.  And  this  arrangement 
could  be  the  more  easily  carried  out,  as  morning  service  at 
S.  Paul's  commenced  at  a  quarter  before  io,  while  that  at 
the  Chapel  Royal  did  not  begin  until  12  o'clock;  and  the 
afternoon  service  at  the  former  took  place  at  a  quarter  past 
3,  whereas  that  at  the  latter  did  not  commence  until  half 
past  5  o'clock. 

Mr.  Thomas  Attwood,  who,  as  you  all  know,  was  com- 
poser to  the  Chapel  Royal  as  well  as  organist  of  S.  Paul's, 
used  to  utilize  this  migratory  course  of  mine.  In  those 
days  (I  am  speaking  of  fifty-five  years  ago)  there  were  no 
facilities  for  the  publication  of  Church  music,  and  Attwood 
would  frequently  write  out  the  separate  voice  parts  of  his 
services  and  anthems  with  his  own  hand.  He  would  thus 
get,  say,  a  particular  service  appointed  to  be  sung  at  the 
Cathedral  and  at  the  Chapel  Royal  on  the  same  day.  He 
would  then  bring  his  copies  to  S.  Paul's,  place  them  in  my 
hands  to  carry  to  and  fro,  and  if,  after  the  fourth  service,  I 
returned  them  to  him,  complete,  and  neatly  tied  up  in  paper 


422     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

as  he  had  handed  them  to  me,  he  would  reward  me  with 
the  welcome  present  of  a  sixpence,  which  shewed  his 
kindly  sympathy  with  a  school  boy,  to  one  of  which  class  a 
small  gift  of  the  kind  is  always  acceptable. 

How  well  do  the  words  of  Sydney  Smith,  the  wise 
and  witty  Canon  of  S.  Paul's — Attwood's  contem- 
porary— bear  out  these  pleasant  little  anecdotes  : 
"  You  have  no  idea  of  the  value  of  kindness.  Plea- 
sure is  very  reflective,  and  if  you  give  it  you  will  feel 
it,  and  pleasure  which  you  give  by  a  little  kindness 
of  manner  returns  to  you  with  compound  interest." 

It  should  be  noted  that  Attwood,  the  favourite 
pupil  of  Mozart,  was  one  of  the  first  in  England  to 
recognize  the  genius  of  the  young  Mendelssohn, 
and  a  warm  friendship  was  established  between  the 
two  composers,  which  was  only  broken  by  the  death 
of  the  elder.  Thus  the  gifted  Englishman  appears 
as  a  connecting  link  between  the  two  illustrious 
Germans.  Mendelssohn,  during  his  visits  to  London, 
was  frequently  the  guest  of  Attwood  ("  dear  old 
Mr.  Attwood,"  as  he  called  him)  at  his  villa  on 
Beulah  Hill,  Norwood.  Several  of  Mendelssohn's 
letters  are  dated  thence,  and  in  one  of  them  he  ex- 
presses his  joy  at  finding,  in  Attwood's  music 
cupboard  which  stood  in  his  (Mendelssohn's)  room, 
a  full  score  of  Weber's  Euryanthe  in  three  volumes. 

When  Mendelssohn  visited  London  after  his 
Scottish  tour  in  1829  he  met  with  a  carriage  acci- 
dent, occasioning  a  serious  injury  to  his  knee.  The 
composer  notes  in  one  of  his  home  letters  during 
the  time  he  was  confined  to  his  bed  : — 

Yesterday  a  great  hamper  arrived  from  Mr.  Attwood 
(at  Norwood)  in  Surrey ;  on  the  top  there  were  splendid 
flowers,  which  are  now  smelling   deliciously  by  my  fire- 


FIRST  HALF   OF   i9th   CENTURY    423 

side.  Under  the  flowers  lay  a  large  pheasant ;  under  the 
pheasant  a  quantity  of  apples  for  pies,  &c.  Mr.  Hawes 
appeared  this  morning  with  grapes,  than  which  I  never 
saw  finer  or  more  beautiful. 

When,  on  his  recovery,  Mendelssohn  went  down 
to  Norwood  to  stay  with  the  Attwoods,  and  for 
change  of  air,  his  friend  Klingemann  gave  a  droll 
account  of  a  Sunday  procession  of  that  time,  which 
moved  about  the  fields  of  Norwood  "  without  any 
disturbance  of  public  order  or  Sabbath  regulations." 

In  Norwood  [he  goes  on  to  say]  lives  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  donkeys  that  ever  ate  thistles  (but  he  lives 
entirely  on  corn),  a  plump,  milk-white  animal,  full  of 
vivacity  and  talent,  appointed  to  draw  a  very  diminutive 
four-wheeled  vehicle.  In  the  vehicle  sat  Felix  [Mendel- 
ssohn], who,  by  the  way,  got  out  of  his  carriage  and 
walked  with  us  ;  and  a  caravan,  consisting  of  one  lady, 
four  young  men,  the  vehicle  with  the  milk-white  donkey, 
and  three  dogs,  moved  placidly  up  the  hill  and  into  the 
village,  a  glorious  subject  for  artists — a  subject  that  would 
have  made  an  immortal  work. 

The  house  on  Beulah  Hill  still  stands  much  as 
Attwood  left  it,  but  with  the  addition  of  a  wing, 
which  now  occupies  the  site  of  the  habitation  of  his 
white  donkey.  A  photograph  of  the  house  is  given 
in  Mr.  F.  G.  Edwards'  entertaining  little  book, 
Musical  Haunts  in  London. 

While  at  Norwood,  on  18  November,  1829, 
Mendelssohn  wrote  the  second  of  his  Three  Fanta- 
sias for  Pianoforte  in  E  (Op.  16),  "  Der  Kleine 
Fluss,"  or  "The  Rivulet."  Mendelssohn's  Three 
Preludes  and  Fugues  (Op.  37),  composed  at  Spires 
in  1837,  were  dedicated  to  Attwood  ;  while  the 
autograph  of  a  Kyrie  Eleison  in  A  minor,  since 


424     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

published  by  Novello,  was  inscribed,  "  For  Mr. 
Attwood,  Berlin,  24th  March,  1833."  Mendelssohn 
has  treated  this  Kyrie  as  a  short  anthem,  and  his 
manner  of  setting  the  words  precludes  the  possi- 
bility of  its  use  as  a  piece  of  liturgical  music. 

Mendelssohn  on  more  than  one  occasion  accom- 
panied his  host  to  S.  Paul's,  and  gave  performances 
on  the  organ  after  the  service.  Like  Handel,  he  had 
a  great  partiality  for  Father  Smith's  noble  instru- 
ment. The  main  attraction  for  him  was  the  C 
pedal-board,  then  the  only  one  in  London,  and 
therefore  the  only  one  on  which  Bach's  music  could 
be  rendered  without  destructive  changes.  At 
S.  Paul's,  on  23  June,  1833,  Mendelssohn  played 
three  pieces  of  Bach's,  an  extempore  prelude  and 
fugue,  and  the  Coronation  anthem  as  a  duet  with 
Attwood.  On  a  previous  occasion  he  played  so  long 
after  the  service — it  was  a  Sunday  afternoon — and 
the  congregation  were  so  loth  to  leave  the  church, 
that  the  vergers,  in  despair,  withdrew  the  blowers, 
and  let  the  wind  out  of  the  organ  during  his  per- 
formance of  Bach's  Fugue  in  A  minor,*  at  the  point 
where  the  subject  comes  in  on  the  pedals. 

Concerning  the  pleasure  which  an  organist  takes 
in  a  fine  organ,  one  is  reminded  of  a  pleasant  and 
humorous  saying  of  Attwood.  Speaking  of  the 
dignitaries  of  S.  Paul's,  he  observed  :  "  It  is  very 
well  that  they  agree  to  pay  me  for  playing — for  if 
they  did  not,  I  should  be  happy  to  pay  them  for 
letting  me  play." 

The  only  pieces  of  organ  music  by  Attwood 
extant    are   the   Dirge   in    D    minor,    written   for 

*  This  was  a  favourite  fugue  of  the  distinguished  organist, 
Henry  Smart. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    425 

Nelson's  funeral,  and  a  Cathedral  Fugue  in  E^. 
The  Dirge  was  printed  by  Vincent  Novello  in  his 
collection,  Melodies  for  the  Soft  Stops,  and  repro- 
duced in  the  Musical  Times,  October,  1906.  The 
Fugue,  originally  published  by  Novello  in  his  Select 
Organ  Pieces,  has  been  re-edited  by  Mr.  John  E. 
West  for  his  series,  Old  English  Organ  Music. 

Attwood  married  in  1793  Mary,  only  child  of 
Matthew  Denton,  Esq.,  of  Stotfold,  Bedfordshire. 
She  survived  her  husband  more  than  twenty  years. 
By  her  he  had  issue  six  children,  five  sons  and  one 
daughter.  His  eldest  son,  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Engineers,  was  assassinated  at  Seville.  His  second, 
the  Rev.  George  Attwood,  was  rector  of  Framling- 
ham,  Suffolk.  His  third,  a  solicitor,  lost  his  life  by 
a  fall  from  his  horse.  His  fourth  was  the  manager 
of  a  great  estate  in  Jamaica  ;  and  his  fifth  was 
rector  of  Gosbeck,  Suffolk. 

Contemporaneously  with  Attwood  at  S.  Paul's 
and  the  Chapel  Royal  flourished  William  Hawes, 
a  prominent  member  of  the  musical  world  of 
London  in  his  day.  He  was  born  21  June,  1785, 
and  at  the  age  of  eight  was  placed  in  the  choir  of 
the  Chapel  Royal  under  Ayrton.  With  this  estab- 
lishment he  was  associated  for  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  In  1802  he  began  to  teach  singing,  and 
officiated  as  deputy  lay  vicar  of  Westminster  Abbey. 
He  resided  at  this  time  in  Millbank  Street,  West- 
minster, and  for  some  time  after  the  death  of 
Richard  Guise,  in  1808,  had  charge  of  the  Abbey 
choristers.  In  1817  he  was  advanced  to  the  full 
place  of  lay  vicar,  but  resigned  his  stall  in  1820, 
finding  he  was  not  entitled  to  privileges  enjoyed 


426     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

before  him  by  others.  In  1805  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  Gentlemen  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  in 
18 1 2  succeeded  John  Sale  in  the  important  office  of 
Almoner  and  Master  of  the  Boys  at  S.  Paul's,  to 
which  the  place  of  vicar  choral  was  attached.  Five 
years  later,  on  the  resignation  of  John  Stafford 
Smith,  he  was  appointed  Master  of  the  Children 
and  Lutenist  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  with  a  salary  of 
.£320  per  annum  from  the  Civil  List.  On  assuming 
the  mastership  of  the  S.  Paul's  choristers,  Hawes 
removed  from  Millbank  Street  to  No.  27  Craven 
Street,  Charing  Cross.  When,  in  181 7,  he  had  the 
additional  charge  of  the  Chapel  Royal  boys  larger 
premises  became  necessary,  and  he  removed  to 
No.  7  Adelphi  Terrace,  Strand.  This  continued 
to  be  the  home  of  both  sets  of  boys  until  Hawes' 
death  in  1846. 

When  Hawes  entered  upon  his  duties  at  S.  Paul's 
in  181 3  the  Dean  and  Chapter,  after  several  years 
of  gross  neglect,  made  better  arrangements  for  the 
education  and  maintenance  of  their  eight  choristers. 
The  Almoner's  salary  was  at  the  same  time  increased, 
and  when,  in  1827,  Dr.  Copleston  became  Dean,  he 
directed  that  the  choristers  should  be  wholly  main- 
tained with  Hawes,  according  to  the  usage  of  his 
predecessors  in  the  eighteenth  century.  For  that 
purpose  the  Dean  made  further  additions  to  the 
Almoner's  salary,  the  total  revenues  of  the  school 
amounting  in  1 830  to  about  £400  per  annum.  Little 
was  then  required  beyond  the  stimulus  of  occa- 
sional public  examinations  to  raise  the  school  from 
the  neglect  and  obscurity  into  which  it  had  fallen 
between  1800  and  181 3.  These  improvements  were 
largely  due  to  the  exertions  of  that  worthy,  clever 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY     427 

lady,  Miss  Maria  Hackett,  "  the  choristers'  friend," 
who  for  seventy  years  regularly  attended  the  ser- 
vices at  S.  Paul's,  and  spent  the  greater  part  of  her 
time  and  substance  in  ameliorating  the  condition 
and  education  of  the  choristers,  not  only  of  S.  Paul's, 
but  of  those  of  every  cathedral  in  England  and 
Wales. 

Hawes  seems,  by  all  accounts,  to  have  trained  the 
boys'  voices  carefully  and  well,  and,  although  far 
from  a  judicious  educationalist  in  other  respects, 
fulfilled  all  the  duties  required  of  him  by  his  ecclesi- 
astical employers  in  those  days  of  shameful  and 
heartless  neglect.  He  seems  to  have  known  no  way 
of  imparting  tuition  or  correcting  delinquencies 
except  by  means  of  the  birch.  Numerous  stories 
are  related  of  his  powers  in  this  respect,  and  his 
whole  educational  system  was  a  reflique  of  that 
maintained  by  his  predecessors,  James  Nares, 
Edmund  Ayrton,  and  John  Stafford  Smith. 

Hawes  had  a  good  many  irons  in  the  fire,  for, 
besides  his  appointments  at  S.  Paul's  and  the  Chapel 
Royal,  he  was  Conductor  of  the  Glee  Club  and  of 
the  Madrigal  and  Western  Madrigal  Societies  ; 
deputy  organist  to  Henry  Mullinex  at  the  German 
Lutheran  Chapel  in  the  Savoy  ;  ran  the  English 
Opera,  and  had  the  management  of  the  music  at 
most  of  the  big  city  dinners. 

Hiring  out  the  boys  for  singing  at  concerts  and 
public  banquets  was,  for  many  years,  a  source  of 
considerable  emolument  to  Hawes.  As  an  example 
of  this,  within  little  more  than  three  months  after 
his  appointment  in  181 2,  the  public  engagements 
of  the  S.  Paul's  choristers  amounted  in  number  to 
nearly  fifty,  exclusive  of  private  concerts  at  Hawes' 


428     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

residence  on  Sunday  and  Thursday  evenings. 
Whether  the  profits  were  much  or  little,  it  was  in 
direct  contravention  of  the  rule,  De  Eleemosynario, 
extracted  from  the  Liber  Statutorum  of  S.  Paul's,  in 
the  custody  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter  : — 

"  Pro  dictis  vero  pueris  recipiendis  vel  alendis 
nihil  recipiat  ex  pacto  ab  aliquibus  exteris,  praeter 
Stipendia  constituta,  nee  per  favorem  recipiat  nee 
retineat  pueros  aliquos  nisi  idoneos  ad  Ecclesie 
ministerium  supradicte." 

A  busy,  wiry,  active  man,  Hawes  was  incessantly 
on  the  move — composing,  editing,  teaching,  and 
conducting.  He  wrote  some  excellent  glees,  three 
of  his  compositions  gaining  the  prize  medal  awarded 
by  the  Glee  Club  in  1831,  1833,  and  1836;  while 
his  madrigal,  "  Sweet  Philomela,"  stood  second,  in 
the  judgment  of  the  umpires,  for  the  prize  (a  silver 
cup)  offered  by  the  Madrigal  Society  in  181 3.  He 
wrote  a  Morning  and  Evening  Service  in  G,  in  the 
Attwood  style,  for  the  use  of  S.  Paul's,  where  at 
one  time  it  was  much  sung  ;  edited  two  collections 
of  Chants,  Sanctuses,  and  Responses,  as  well  as 
anthems,  containing  many  of  his  own  compositions  ; 
published  an  edition  of  Croft's  Services  in  A  major 
and  E^  ;  and  edited  The  Triumphs  of  Oriana  and 
a  collection  of  the  glees  of  Reginald  Spofforth. 
Some  of  his  songs  were  really  first-rate,  such  as 
"  The  Beacon  "  and  "  Father  William."  In  con- 
junction with  S.  J.  Arnold,  lessee  of  the  Lyceum 
Theatre  or  English  Opera  House,  he  brought  out, 
in  1824,  a  mutilated  version  of  Weber's  Der  Frei- 
chiitz,  interpolated  with  ballads  and  the  finale 
omitted ;  following  it  with  several  others  by  Salieri, 
Winter,  Paer,  Mozart,  Weigl,  and  Marschner,  on 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     429 

the  same  free-and-easy  principles,  and  liberally 
furnishing  other  operas  with  music  nominally  his 
own.  His  ballad  opera,  Broken  Promises,  was  long 
a  favourite,  and  contained  some  pretty,  original 
music,  but  padded  also  with  foreign  interpolations 
from  Weber,  Himmel,  Meyerbeer,  and  Cherubini. 
He  also  composed  incidental  music  to  various  farces 
and  after-pieces,  some  of  which  were  written  by 
Richard  Brinsley  Peake,  treasurer  of  Drury  Lane 
Theatre.  He  was  a  fair  performer  on  the  violin  and 
other  instruments,  and  was  remarkable  for  the 
natural  flexibility  of  a  somewhat  uncultivated  voice 
— a  circumstance  which  elicited  the  joke  of  Tom 
Cooke  that  he  could  take  alto,  tenor,  or  bass  in- 
differently. In  1830  he  gave  so-called  "  oratorios," 
at  Covent  Garden  and  Drury  Lane  Theatres,  on 
the  Wednesdays  and  Fridays  in  Lent.*  These 
oratorios  were  nothing  more  than  miscellaneous 
concerts,  where  "  The  Death  of  Nelson "  and 
"  Total  Eclipse  "  jostled  each  other  ;  where  the 
Miriam  of  Israel  in  Egypt  had  to  sing  Di  -piacer  and 
"  I've  been  roaming  "  ;  and  the  long  farrago  of 
medley  music  was  wound  up  with  a  "  Hallelujah." 
The  S.  Paul's  and  Chapel  Royal  boys  formed  an 
important  item  in  the  soprano  chorus  at  these 
"  oratorios." 

A  kindly,  genial  man  in  private,  Hawes  was  a 
regular  martinet  in  official  hours.  The  late  William 
Makepeace,  for  fifty  years  master  of  the  Rochester 
choristers,  and  who  began  life  as  a  boy  at  S.  Paul's 
when    Hawes    reigned    supreme,    could    tell    many 

*  On  these  days,  as  well  as  on  Whitsun  Even  and  30  January 
(the  Anniversary  of  the  Martyrdom  of  Charles  I),  all  the  London 
theatres  were  closed. 

2    F 


430     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

stories  of  that  typical  pedagogue.  On  one  occasion 
he  asked  for  a  holiday  because  it  was  his  birthday. 
This  plea  had  been  urged  several  times  at  short 
intervals.  Hawes  looked  hard  at  him  for  a  moment, 
and  said,  "  If  you  have  another  birthday  before  a 
twelvemonth  has  passed  I'll  thrash  you  within  an 
inch  of  your  life." 

Among  those  who  seem  to  have  distinguished 
themselves  most  as  choristers  of  S.  Paul's  under 
Hawes  were  Edward  Sturges,  organist  of  the  Found- 
ling (1833-48)  ;  John  Hopkins,  organist  of  Rochester 
Cathedral  (1 856-1900)  ;  G.  W.  Martin,  a  talented 
glee  writer,  choir  trainer,  and  conductor;  J.  G. 
Boardman  (1819-98),  a  well-known  organist  of 
several  south  London  churches,  and  organist  and 
music-master  at  Clapham  Grammar  School  during 
Dr.  Pritchard's  famous  head  -  mastership ;  his 
brother,  T.  J.  Boardman,  the  recipient  of  a  Lam- 
beth Mus.D.  degree  ;  A.  J.  S.  Moxley,  organist  of 
S.  Paul's,  Covent  Garden,  and  an  energetic  member 
of  the  Motett  Choir  ;  William  Bayley,  afterwards 
(1846-58)  music-master  to  the  S.  Paul's  choristers  ; 
and  George  Pinsent,  whose  setting  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer  was  published  by  Dr.  Gauntlett  in  his 
Comprehensive  Tune  Book.  While  among  Hawes' 
Chapel  Royal  boys  were  Samuel  Sebastian  Wesley ; 
Edward  J.  Hopkins ;  Donald  King,  principal  tenor 
at  the  Foundling  and  a  successful  ballad  and  glee 
singer ;  William  Marshall,  organist  of  Christ  Church 
Cathedral,  Oxford  (1826-46) ;  Edmund  Thomas 
Chipp,  organist  of  Ely  Cathedral  (1866-86)  ;  W. 
G.  Cusins,  Master  of  the  Queen's  Band  (1870), 
and  others. 

Besides    his    numerous    professional    avocations 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     431 

Hawes  was  in  business  as  a  music  publisher,  first 
in  partnership  with  Thomas  Welsh  at  the  Royal 
Harmonic  Institution  (Argyle  Rooms),  Regent 
Street,  destroyed  by  fire  in  1830;  and  afterwards, 
in  consequence  of  a  rupture  with  Welsh,  by  himself 
at  355  Strand,  near  the  pit  door  of  the  Lyceum 
Theatre.  At  both  places  he  published  many  of  his 
own  compositions  and  arrangements.  He  was  one 
of  the  last  of  the  so-called  "  chorister  farmers,"  i.e. 
instructors  in  singing,  who  took  articled  pupils  of 
both  sexes. 

Hawes  died  at  7  Adelphi  Terrace  on  Ash  Wednes- 
day, 18  February,  1846,  and  was  buried  a  week  later 
in  Kensal  Green  Cemetery.  He  married  a  sister  of 
Henry  Mullinex  (or  Molineux),  one  of  the  Gentle- 
men of  the  Chapel  Royal.  She  survived  him  until 
1 87 1.  His  second  son,  Thomas  Henry,  was  succes- 
sively a  chorister  in  S.  Paul's,  chaplain  of  New 
College,  Oxford  (1830-56),  Minor  Canon  of  Wells 
(1835-57),  and  rector  of  Burgh  Castle,  Great  Yar- 
mouth (1857-88).  He  wrote  and  published  some 
good  Church  music,  including  a  Morning  Service 
(Te  Deum,  Bene 'die tus,  Sanctus,  Kyrie,  and  Credo) 
in  F ;  two  Penitential  Anthems ;  hymn  tunes, 
chants,  etc. 

One  of  Hawes'  three  daughters,  Maria  Billington 
Hawes  (afterwards  Mrs.  Merest),  was  a  distinguished 
contralto.  She  sang  at  the  production  of  Mendel- 
ssohn's Hymn  of  Praise  at  Birmingham  in  1840,  and 
in  that  of  his  Elijah  at  the  same  place  in  1846. 
There  must  be  some  still  living  who  can  remember 
her  powers  of  declamation  in  such  things  as  Purcell's 
"  Full  fathom  five,"  Handel's  "  Holy,  Holy  "  and 
"  Return,  O  Lord  of  Hosts,"  Mehul's  "  Ere  in- 


432     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

fancy's  bud,"  Cherubini's  "  O  Salutaris  Hostia," 
Mendelssohn's  "  O  rest  in  the  Lord,"  Winter's 
"  Paga  fui,"  and  in  her  participation  with  Malibran 
or  Clara  Novello  in  Marcello's  duet,  "  Qual  ane- 
lante."  Bishop  Blomfield  was  wont  to  observe  that 
Miss  M.  B.  Hawes'  singing  of  "  He  was  despised," 
in  the  performances  of  Handel's  Messiah  at  the 
concerts  of  the  Sacred  Harmonic  Society,  was  a 
veritable  sermon  in  music. 

Before  the  first  portion  of  this  chapter  closes 
several  Church  composers  of  lesser  note  who  died 
anterior  to  the  accession  of  Queen  Victoria  may  be 
briefly  noticed. 

Joseph  Corfe,  organist  of  Salisbury  Cathedral 
from  1792  until  his  resignation  in  1804,  was  a  com- 
poser of  the  Clarke  Whitfeld  school.  He  published 
a  volume  of  Cathedral  music,  containing  a  Morning 
and  Evening  Service  in  B^  and  eleven  anthems.  He 
died  29  July,  1820,  and  was  buried  in  the  north- 
west transept  of  Salisbury  Cathedral.  His  son, 
Arthur  Thomas  Corfe,  succeeded  him  in  the 
organistship  of  Salisbury  in  1804,  and  held  the 
post  until  28  January,  1863,  when  he  died  suddenly 
while  kneeling  in  prayer  at  his  bedside.  He  was  a 
pupil  of  Dr.  Cooke  and  Muzio  Clementi.  He  wrote 
some  Cathedral  music,  adapted  some  anthems  from 
the  works  of  Carissimi,  Mozart,  Sacchini,  and  others, 
and  published,  in  1830,  a  collection  of  the  words  of 
anthems  as  used  in  Salisbury  Cathedral.  He  also 
published  an  edition  of  Kent's  anthems.  Two  of 
his  sons  held  Cathedral  organistships — John  Davis 
Corfe  that  of  Bristol,  from  1825-76;  and  Charles 
William    Corfe,    Mus.D.,    that    of    Oxford,    from 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     433 

1846-82.  His  grandsons,  the  Right  Rev.  C.  J.  Corfe, 
late  Bishop  in  Corea,  and  the  Rev.  Edward  Corfe, 
Canon  and  Precentor  of  Truro,  still  worthily  main- 
tain the  musical  ability  of  the  family. 

Gilbert  Heathcote,  fifth  son  of  Sir  Thomas 
Heathcote,  Bart.,  of  Hursley  Park,  Hants,  was  an 
able  clerical  musician.  He  was  born  in  1765,  and 
educated  at  Winchester  College.  At  Oxford  he 
became  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Philip  Hayes.  He  was  suc- 
cessively Fellow  of  New  College,  Oxford  (1788), 
Fellow  of  Winchester  College  and  Rector  of  Hursley 
cum  Otterborn  (1804),  and  Vicar  of  Andover,  Hants 
(181 1).  He  was  appointed  Treasurer  of  Wells  by 
Bishop  Beadon  in  18 14,  and  Archdeacon  of  Win- 
chester by  Bishop  Brownlow  North  in  1819.  He 
died  in  South  Audley  Street,  London,  19  October, 
1829,  and  was  buried  on  the  27th  in  the  cloisters 
of  Winchester  College.  He  married  Sophia  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Martin  Wall,  m.d.,  Clinical  Pro- 
fessor in  the  University  of  Oxford.  Archdeacon 
Heathcote  is  now  only  remembered  by  his  chants ; 
but  he  left  in  manuscript  a  large  amount  of  com- 
position, consisting  of  services,  anthems,  psalmody, 
canons,  glees,  etc.,  which  denote  him  a  clever  man. 
He  was  an  industrious  collector  of  Church  music, 
and  transcribed  in  score  a  large  number  of  valuable 
ancient  services  and  anthems.  His  Evening  Service 
in  G  was  long  popular  at  New  College,  Oxford  ; 
and  he  wrote  others  in  B^,  D,  E  minor,  and  F.  A 
complete  collection  of  his  transcriptions  and  original 
Church  music  is  with  the  present  writer.  His 
edition  of  the  Harmonia  Wykehamica  has  already 
been  mentioned. 


434     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Alfred  Bennett,  organist  of  New  College  and 
to  the  University,  Oxford,  was  a  musician  of  much 
promise  cut  off  at  an  early  age.  He  was  born  at 
Chichester  in  1805,  of  which  Cathedral  his  father, 
Thomas  Bennett,  was,  from  1803-48,  organist. 
Alfred  Bennett  graduated  Bachelor  in  Music  at 
Oxford  in  1825,  his  appointments  at  New  College 
and  the  University  Church  dating  from  the  same 
year.  In  1829  he  edited,  in  conjunction  with 
William  Marshall,  Mus.B.,  organist  of  Christ  Church 
Cathedral  and  S.  John's  College,  a  collection  of 
Cathedral  Chants.  It  contained  221  compositions, 
single  and  double,  and  was  long  considered  the 
most  comprehensive  and  the  best  arranged  collec- 
tion published.  An  extract  from  the  preface  runs 
thus  : — 

The  Editors  of  the  present  work  (in  harmonizing  those 
chants  of  which  they  did  not  possess  original  copies)  have 
judged  it  best  to  adopt  the  style  of  harmony  of  the  earlier 
English  Composers  for  the  Church,  supported  by  the 
authority  of  Handel  and  Sebastian  Bach.  They  are 
satisfied  that  this  plan  will  meet  with  the  approbation  of 
the  real  lovers  of  Cathedral  music,  and  trust  that  it  will 
be  a  satisfactory  apology  to  the  respective  Authors  for  a 
possible  alteration  in  the  harmony  of  any  Chant  of  which 
the  Editors  did  not  possess  an  original  score. 

Besides  all  the  old-established  favourites,  the  book 
contained  a  number  of  chants  contributed  by  living 
composers,  such  as  Thomas  Attwood,  Dr.  Crotch, 
Dr.  Chard,  John  Pratt,  Edward  Dearie,  John  Goss, 
Dr.  Pring,  and  S.  S.  Wesley.  There  were  over  five 
hundred  subscribers  to  the  work. 

In  1830  Bennett  had  prepared  for  the  press  a 
work   of   considerable   importance — a   selection   of 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     435 

choruses  and  other  sacred  pieces  from  the  works  of 
Mozart,  Haydn,  Beethoven,  Graun,  Pergolesi, 
Hummel,  and  others,  arranged  for  the  organ.  The 
proofs  were  receiving  their  final  corrections,  when 
an  accident,  rendered  more  grievous  by  the  reflec- 
tion that  it  ought  to  have  been  avoided,*  cost  the 
editor  of  the  work  his  life,  deprived  the  musical 
world  of  a  talented,  sensible  professor,  and  society 
of  an  honourable,  amiable  member.  The  publica- 
tion, however,  was  so  far  advanced  that  it  suffered 
no  injury  from  the  calamity  of  him  who  was  not 
destined  to  hear  those  praises  which  were  the  just 
meed  of  his  labours,  and  the  work  was  brought  out 
exactly  in  the  state  in  which  he  had  determined  it 
should  appear.  Besides  the  arrangements  men- 
tioned above,  the  book  contained  a  fugue  by  Bennett 
himself,  "  performed,"  as  a  note  informs  us,  "  on 
the  occasion  of  a  public  competition  for  the  office 
of  organist  of  the  University  Church,  Oxford,  July 
11,  1825."  This  is  a  double  fugue,  and  shows  the 
composer  to  have  been  a  studious,  industrious, 
clever  contrapuntist,  true  to  the  rules  of  science, 
but  not  insensible  to  the  importance  of  melody  and 
to  the  necessity  of  gratifying  the  ear  as  well  as  of 
satisfying  the  eye. 

In  1853  a  selection  from  Alfred  Bennett's  Cathe- 
dral music  was  edited  by  his  brothers,  Thomas  and 
Henry  Bennett.  It  contained  services  in  E,  F,  and 
G,   and   three   anthems — "  O   praise   the   Lord   of 

*  The  upsetting  near  Severn  Stoke  of  the  overloaded  "  Aurora  " 
stage-coach,  on  which  he  was  travelling  to  attend  the  Worcester 
Festival,  12  September,  1830.  His  body  was  brought  back  to 
Oxford  and  buried  in  New  College  Cloisters.  A  large  subscrip- 
tion was  raised  for  his  young  widow  and  infant  son. 


436     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

heaven,"  "  O  Sion,  that  bringest  good  tidings,"  and 
"  I  waited  patiently."  The  Service  in  F  is  a  ques- 
tionable compilation  from  the  masses  and  other 
sacred  pieces  of  Mozart,  Webbe,  and  Novello,  to 
the  words  of  the  Magnificat  and  Nunc  Dimittis. 

The  names  of  the  two  Skeats,  father  and 
son,  are  by  no  means  unfamiliar  in  Cathedral 
annals.  Both  bore  the  same  Christian  name,  that 
of  Highmore. 

The  elder  Skeats,  born  in  1760,  was  successively 
chorister  of  Exeter,  Vicar  Choral  of  Salisbury, 
organist  of  Ely  (1 778-1 803),  and  organist  of  Canter- 
bury (1 803-3 1)-  He  was  the  composer  of  a  Morning, 
Ante-Communion,  and  Evening  Service  in  C  in  the 
short,  full  style  of  Charles  King.  It  is  melodious 
and  well  written  for  the  voices,  and  enjoys  the 
almost  unique  distinction  of  being  in  triple  time 
from  beginning  to  end.  It  was,  until  comparatively 
recently,  a  favourite  at  Canterbury.  He  wrote 
Morning  Services  in  D  and  E^,  an  Evening  Service 
in  A,  in  continuation  of  Boyce,  and  several  anthems, 
none  of  which  have  been  printed.  Following  the 
examples  of  William  and  Philip  Hayes,  he  composed 
a  set  of  six  metrical  psalms.  These  have  been 
printed  in  the  Rev.  J.  Powell  Metcalfs  Metrical 
Anthems.  His  psalm,  "  Thou,  Lord,  by  strictest 
search  hast  known,"  also  in  metrical  form,  was  pub- 
lished in  Sacred  Harmony,  a  collection  edited  in 
1865  by  Dr.  Edward  Bunnett,  of  Norwich.  He 
edited|the  Cathedral  Music  of  Dr.  John  Stephens, 
organist  of  SalisburyJCathedral  from  1746-80,  and 
published  various  collections  of  glees  and  songs. 
He    died   at   Canterbury   in   July,    1831,    and   was 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     437 

buried  on  the  14th  of  that  month  in  the  church- 
yard of  S.  Martin's. 

In  1825  James  Longhurst,  father  of  the  late  Dr. 
W.  H.  Longhurst,  added  "  German  Pedals  "  to  the 
organ  built  by  Green  on  the  rood  screen  at  Canter- 
bury in  1784,  and  supplied  the  instrument  with 
seven  16-feet  pedal  pipes.  These  "  German  pedals  " 
were  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  examples  of 
their  kind  introduced  into  Kent.  Skeats,  a  player 
of  the  Georgian  school,  had  a  great  aversion  to  them, 
and  would  not  use  them.  When  anybody  wished  to 
hear  the  pedal  pipes  he  would  call  his  pupil, 
T.  Evance  Jones,  saying  :  "  Here,  Jones,  come  and 
show  these  things  off,  I  never  learned  to  dance"* 
Two  years  later,  while  Skeats  was  still  organist,  the 
instrument  was  removed  from  the  screen  to  the 
south  triforium  of  the  choir. 

Highmore  Skeats  the  younger  succeeded  his  father 
as  organist  of  Ely  Cathedral  in  1804,  exchanging 
this  post  in  1830  for  a  similar  one  at  S.  George's 
Chapel,  Windsor,  where  he  succeeded  Karl  Friedrich 
Horn,  the  collaborates  of  Samuel  Wesley  in  the 
preparation  of  an  English  edition  of  J.  S.  Bach's 
"  Wohltemperirte  Clavier." 

Highmore  Skeats,  junior,  is  well  known  by  his 
double  chant  in  E^  and  his  touching  chorale,  "  The 
righteous  souls  that  take  their  flight."  He  died  at 
Windsor,  24  February,  1835,  and  was  buried  in  the 
cloisters  of  S.  George's  Chapel.  His  daughter, 
Harriet,  was  married  to  Sir  George  Elvey,  his 
successor  in  the  organistship  of  S.  George's. 

*  John  E.  West,  Cathedral  Organists,  Past  and  Present, 
1899. 


438     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Joseph  Pring,  the  second  of  three  amiable 
brothers,  all  choristers  of  S.  Paul's  under  Robert 
Hudson,  was  appointed  organist  of  Bangor  Cathedral 
in  1793.  He  accumulated  the  degrees  of  Mus.B. 
and  Mus.D.  at  Oxford  in  1808,  having,  three  years 
previously,  published  Twenty  Anthems  in  Score,  for 
1,  2,  J,  4,  and  5  voices.  There  is  much  excellent 
music  in  these  compositions,  the  boldness  and 
originality  of  many  of  the  subjects  being  strongly 
reminiscent  of  Boyce.  Some  of  the  choruses  are 
remarkably  good  and  well  worked  out,  especially 
"  Sing  unto  the  Lord,"  from  "  Behold,  God  is  my 
salvation  "  ;  and  "  The  Lord  sware,  and  will  not 
repent,"  from  "  The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord." 
Transcriptions  of  both  were  given  by  Vincent 
Novello  in  his  Cathedral  Voluntaries  (183 1).  Only 
two  of  Pring's  anthems  have  been  reprinted  in 
score  in  modern  times — "  With  angels  and  arch- 
angels," edited  by  Dr.  J.  L.  Hopkins  ;  and  "  O 
Lord,  we  beseech  Thee,"  by  Joseph  Warren. 

Dr.  Pring  is  now  chiefly  remembered  by  his 
chants.  Nine  of  these  compositions,  four  single  and 
five  double,  were  printed  in  a  collection  edited  by 
George  Cleland,  organist  of  S.  Mary's  Chapel,  Bath, 
in  1823.  Others  are  to  be  found  in  the  Oxford 
collection  of  Bennett  and  Marshall. 

In  1 81 3  Dr.  Pring  and  three  of  the  vicars  choral 
of  Bangor  presented  a  petition  to  the  Court  of 
Chancery  for  the  proper  application  of  certain 
tithes  which  had,  by  Act  of  Parliament  passed  in 
1685,  been  appropriated  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
Cathedral  choir,  but  which  had  been  diverted  by 
the  capitular  body  to  other  uses.  The  suit  dragged 
on  until  1819,  when  Lord  Chancellor  Eldon,  setting 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     439 

at  naught  the  express  conditions  of  the  Act,  sanc- 
tioned a  scheme  which,  indeed,  gave  to  the  organist 
and  choir  increased  stipends,  but,  at  the  same  time, 
kept  them  considerably  below  the  amounts  they 
ought  to  have  received  had  the  Act  been  carried 
out  in  all  its  force.  Dr.  Pring  subsequently  printed 
the  various  transactions  in  connection  with  the  case, 
with  notes,  etc.,  and  it  has  now  become  a  remark- 
ably scarce  book. 

In  the  preface  to  his  collection  and  arrangement 
of  these  papers  Dr.  Pring  observes,  in  reference  to 
the  proceedings  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of 
Bangor  : — 

The  particulars  of  all  these,  and  many  other  similar 
attempts,  equally  preposterous,  are  given  in  the  course  of 
this  publication,  which  plainly  shew  to  what  unwarrantable 
expedients  Trustees  will  resort  (unless  kept  in  check  by 
the  prying  eyes  of  those  groaning  under  the  galling  yoke 
of  oppression)  who  ought,  on  the  contrary,  from  the  sacred 
responsibility  reposed  in  them  as  Guardians,  have  imparted 
to  the  objects  thus  placed  under  their  immediate  protection, 
a  portion  of  that  "  brotherly  love,"  which  is  the  hackneyed 
theme  theoretically  inculcated  by  way  of  precept  to  others, 
without  evincing,  practically,  the  least  semblance  of  ex- 
ample on  their  own  part. 

It  may  be  asked,  what  advantage  will  the  choir  derive, 
in  a  pecuniary  light,  from  Dr.  Pring's  individual  exertions, 
and  sacrifices,  during  the  last  eight  years  ?  The  answer  is 
explicit.  By  the  late  Decision,  the  Choir  will  have  to  share 
among  them  the  sum  of  £388  ios.  od.  per  annum,  instead 
of  ;£llo  as  at  present,  being  an  addition  of  £278  ios.  od. 
a  year  among  the  bona  fide  Members  of  the  Choir ;  and 
which  will  (their  ratio  now  being  deducible  into  fourteen, 
out  of  twenty-four  parts  of  the  Annual  account  of  the 
Funds)  continue  to  increase  in  proportion  as  the  tithes 
advance  in  value. 


440      ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

Had  the  intended  Chapter  Act  passed,  by  which 
it  was  proposed  to  spend  the  enormous  sum  of 
^6950  from  the  tithes  of  Llandinam,  for  the  altera- 
tion and  enlargement  of  the  Cathedral  and  for 
building  a  new  church  in  Bangor,  not  a  single 
farthing  would  ever  have  been  added  to  the  miser- 
able yearly  pittances  doled  out  to  the  real  working 
members  of  the  Cathedral  staff — the  organist, 
singing-men,  and  choristers.  This  inference  is 
evident  from  the  circumstance  of  those  officers  not 
being  so  much  as  named  in  any  part  of  the  Act 
alluded  to,  and,  consequently,  no  provision  left  for 
the  purpose  of  augmentation. 

It  appears  that  on  26  December,  181 1,  Dr.  Pring 
was  sent  for  by  the  Chapter,  then  sitting,  when 
he  was  addressed  by  Dean  Warren  as  follows  :  "  Sir, 
as  you  appear  determined  to  see  that  the  Chapter 
do  their  duty  under  the  Act  of  King  James,  we  are 
also  determined  to  screw  you  up  to  the  utmost  of 
your  duty.  For  this  purpose  I  have  examined  the 
Chapter  Order  Book,  from  the  passing  of  the  Act  to 
the  present  time,  and  find  only  one  order  respecting 
the  organist,  which  is  to  this  effect ;  that  the 
organist  should  teach  the  singing-boys  the  art  of 
singing,  two  hours  in  the  week,  and  that  for  non- 
attendance  he  should  forfeit  2s.  6d.  Now,  sir,  as 
your  salary  is  three  times  the  amount  of  what  the 
organist  received  at  that  time,  we  shall  increase  the 
forfeit  for  each  non-attendance  to  7s.  6d."  Prior  to 
the  passing  of  this  Order  of  Chapter  the  instruction 
of  the  choristers  was  left  solely  to  the  discretion  of 
the  organist,  without  either  fine  or  compulsion. 

Dr.  Pring  was  evidently  a  man  of  substance, 
courage,  and  determination,  but  it  is  said  that  he 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     441 

was  so  impoverished  by  this  lawsuit  that  he  and  his 
family  were  for  some  time  in  great  need,  and  could 
only  obtain  their  necessary  sustenance  on  credit. 
The  counterpart  of  these  proceedings  may  be  read 
in  Whiston's  Cathedral  Trusts  and  their  Fulfilment 
(1850),  and  in  Miss  Hackett's  Correspondence  and 
Evidences  respecting  the  Ancient  Collegiate  School 
attached  to  S.  PauVs  Cathedral  (181 1-32). 

Dr.  Pring  died  on  13  February,  1842,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Cathedral,  or  Old  Church,  Yard, 
Bangor.  A  black-bordered  leaflet  printed  shortly 
afterwards  had  on  it  the  following  epitaph  : — 

Ah  !  gifted  man  !  his  death  we  all  deplore, 
The  favourite  son  of  Nature  and  of  Art ; 

High  was  his  calling,  genuine  his  lore, 
With  such  a  genius  we  felt  loath  to  part. 

Dim  are  the  eyes  of  relatives  and  friends, 
As  on  the  Bangor  Choir  affection  doats  ; 

Delusive  fancy  from  the  organ  swells 

Still  to  the  sorrowing  ear  his  requiem  notes  ! 

His  master  music  in  the  Church  below 

Is  hushed  for  ever ! — Still  we  hope  he  plays 

Immortal  anthems  ;  where  the  sounds  of  woe 
Shall  never  damp  the  sweetness  of  his  lays. 

The  last  stanza  only,  in  Welsh  and  English,  is 
engraved  on  Dr.  Pring's  tombstone. 

Dr.  Pring's  brothers  were  but  short-lived.  The 
elder,  Jacob  Cubitt  Pring,  was  organist  of  S.  Botolph, 
Aldersgate,  and  died  in  1799,  aged  twenty-eight. 
He  published,  in  1790,  Eight  Anthems  as  performed 
at  S.  Paul' 'j-  Cathedral,  composed  and  humbly  dedicated 
(by  permission)  to  the  Dean  and  Chapter.     One  of 


442     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

these  anthems,  "  Out  of  the  deep,"  was  reprinted 
in  The  Seraphim,  a  collection  edited,  in  1834,  Dy 
Thomas  Clark,  of  Canterbury.  J.  C.  Pring  copied 
much  Church  music  for  Archdeacon  Heathcote.  A 
setting  of  the  Te  Deum  and  Jubilate,  in  his  auto- 
graph, is  in  the  possession  of  the  writer.  He  took 
the  degree  of  Mus.B.  at  Oxford  in  1797. 

The  younger  brother,  Isaac  Pring,  succeeded  Dr. 
Philip  Hayes  as  organist  of  New  College,  Oxford, 
in  1797.  He  held  the  post  but  two  years,  dying  of 
consumption  18  October,  1799,  aged  twenty-two. 
Two  of  his  chants  were  printed  in  Bennett  and 
Marshall's  collection.  He  graduated  Mus.B.  at 
Oxford  in  1799. 

Another  of  Hudson's  choristers  at  S.  Paul's,  whose 
life,  like  that  of  Dr.  Pring,  stretched  considerably 
into  the  nineteenth  century,  was  George  William 
Chard.  He  was  born  at  Winchester  in  1765,  and 
spent  sixty-two  years  in  the  service  of  that  Cathe- 
dral, first,  from  1787  till  1802,  as  lay  clerk  and 
assistant  organist,  and  afterwards,  from  1802  till 
1849,  as  foil  organist.  He  was  also  organist  of  the 
College.  He  graduated  as  Doctor  in  Music  from 
S.  Catherine's  College,  Cambridge,  in  1812. 

Chard  wrote  extensively  for  the  Church,  some 
thirty  anthems,  either  printed  or  in  manuscript, 
being  extant,  as  well  as  services  in  B^,  C,  F,  and  G. 
He  composed  a  large  number  of  chants,  some  of 
which  are  still  in  use.  Five  were  printed  by  Bennett 
and  Marshall,  and  six  in  a  collection  compiled  by 
John  Amott,  organist  (1832-65)  of  Gloucester 
Cathedral. 

A  noted  trainer  of  boys'  voices,  Chard  was  him- 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    443 

self  a  good  tenor.  At  the  Hereford  Festival  of  1825 
he  took,  at  a  short  notice,  the  place  of  Thomas 
Vaughan,  incapacitated  by  illness,  and  sang  the 
tenor  music  in  The  Messiah. 

His  orfertorio,  "  The  mass  was  sung  and  the 
prayers  were  said,"  for  a  bass  solo,  with  distant 
chorus — the  words  from  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Lay  of 
the  Last  Minstrel — was  long  popular  at  London 
concerts  and  at  the  provincial  music  meetings.  It 
was  originally  composed  for  and  sung  by  James 
Bartleman,  and  it  afterwards  became  a  favourite 
with  Thomas  Ludford  Bellamy  and  Henry  Phillips. 
It  was  dedicated  to  Sir  John  Rogers,  and  published 
by  Lonsdale.  Chard's  published  Church  music  in- 
cludes the  anthems,  "  In  humble  faith  "  (words  by 
Dr.  Rennell,  Dean  of  Winchester),  "  Is  there  not 
an  appointed  time  ?  "  (funeral  anthem  for  his 
father,  1790),  "  O  God,  the  King  of  Glory,"  "  The 
earth,  O  Lord,  is  full  of  Thy  mercy,"  "  Just  Judge 
of  Heaven  "  (an  adaptation  from  Mozart),  "  Happy 
the  man  whose  tender  care  "  (for  the  Centenary 
Festival  of  the  Hampshire  County  Hospital,  held  in 
Winchester  Cathedral,  S.  Luke's  Day,  1836),  and 
"  O  Lord,  we  beseech  Thee."  The  printed  copy 
of  the  last-named  bears  date  24  October,  1848. 

A  writer  in  the  Quarterly  Musical  Review  of  1821 
mentions  that  he  was  at  Winchester  during  the 
period  of  some  important  restorations  in  the  choir, 
and  heard  the  service  performed  on  a  Sunday  after- 
noon in  the  Lady  Chapel,  under  the  direction  of 
Dr.  Chard.  The  music,  sung  entirely  without  ac- 
companiment, included  Hayes'  Cantate  and  Deus  in 
Ek,  and  Dr.  Blake's  anthem,  "  I  have  set  God  alway 
before  me."     By  this  it  may  be  inferred  that  the 


444     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

Winchester  choir  had  at  that  time  a  good  reputa- 
tion. Chard  published  several  hymns  and  other 
sacred  pieces,  such  as  "  Resignation  "  (an  Evening 
Prayer),  "  When  we  our  wearied  limbs  "  (a  para- 
phrase of  the  137th  Psalm),  "Wake,  O  my  soul" 
(a  Morning  Hymn),  Pope's  Hymn  on  the  Nativity, 
and  some  stanzas  from  Psalm  li.  (New  Version), 
adapted  to  music  from  Paisiello.  He  published  a 
volume  containing  twelve  glees  in  181 1,  and  wrote 
several  songs,  one  of  which,  "  Tell  me,  ye  winged 
winds  "  ("  The  Enquiry  "),  enjoyed  some  popularity 
in  its  day.  For  some  years  Handel's  harpsichord 
was  in  Chard's  possession.  The  Doctor  bought  it 
of  Dr.  Hawtrey,  one  of  the  prebendaries  of  Win- 
chester. After  his  death  it  was  purchased  by  the 
Rev.  W.  Nixon  Hooper,  Precentor  of  the  Cathedral, 
who  sold  it  to  Messrs.  Broadwood,  by  whom  it  was 
subsequently  lodged  in  the  South  Kensington 
Museum.  Dr.  Chard  died  at  Winchester,  23  May, 
1849,  aged  eighty-four.  A  brass  tablet  on  one  of 
the  buttresses  facing  the  garth  in  the  college 
cloisters  marks  his  resting-place. 

One  of  the  most  notable  musicians  born  during 
the  last  thirty  years  of  the  eighteenth  century  was 
William  Crotch,  who  as  a  composer,  performer, 
lecturer,  and  teacher  attained  considerable  emi- 
nence, but  who,  like  several  other  musical  prodigies, 
failed,  on  the  whole,  to  realize  the  great  things 
expected  of  him. 

William  Crotch  was  born  in  Green  Lane,  S. 
George's  Colegate,  Norwich,  5  July,  1775.  His 
father,  Michael  Crotch,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
and,  having  a  passion  for  music,  had  built  himself 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     445 

a  small  organ,  on  which  he  learnt  to  play  several 
common  tunes,  such  as  "  God  save  the  King," 
"  Let  ambition  fire  thy  mind,"  etc. 

Crotch's  musical  talent  developed  itself  in  in- 
fancy, and  attracted  so  much  attention  that  an 
account  of  this  phenomenon  was  contributed  by 
Dr.  Burney  to  the  Records  of  the  Royal  Society, 
and  printed  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for 
1779,  in  tne  course  oi  which  he  observed  : — 

There  is  now,  in  the  city  of  Norwich,  a  musical  prodigy 
which  engages  the  conversation  and  excites  the  wonder  of 
everybody.  A  boy,  son  to  a  carpenter,  of  only  two  years 
and  three  quarters  old,  from  hearing  his  father  play  upon 
an  organ,  which  he  is  making,  has  discovered  such  musical 
powers  as  are  scarcely  credible.  He  plays  a  variety  of 
tunes,  and  has,  from  memory,  repeated  fragments  of  volun- 
taries which  he  heard  Mr.  Garland  play  at  the  cathedral. 
He  has,  likewise,  accompanied  a  person  who  played  on  the 
flute,  not  only  with  a  treble,  but  has  formed  a  bass  of  his  own, 
which,  to  common  hearers,  seems  harmonious.  If  any  person 
plays  false  it  throws  him  into  a  passion  directly  ;  and  though 
his  little  fingers  can  only  reach  a  6th,  he  often  attempts  to 
play  chords.  He  does  not  seem  a  remarkably  clever  child 
in  any  other  way,  but  his  whole  soul  is  absorbed  in  music. 

Some  interesting  anecdotes  of  the  childhood  of 
Crotch  are  extant  from  the  pen  of  the  Hon.  Daines 
Barrington,  author  of  Miscellanies,  being  accounts 
of  the  infant  musicians  Mozart,  Samuel  and  Charles 
Wesley,  and  the  Earl  of  Mornington. 

In  the  spring  of  1780  Crotch  was  taken  to  London, 
where  he  performed  upon  the  organ  in  public.  A 
steel  engraving,  subscribed  "  Master  Crotch,  the 
Musical  Phenomenon  of  Norwich,"  was  published 
in  The  European  Magazine,  and  represents  him  as 
playing  the  organ.  When  only  eleven  years  old  he 
2  G 


446     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

was  sent  to  Cambridge,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years  under  the  tuition  of  Dr.  Randall,  the  Pro- 
fessor of  Music,  organist  of  King's  and  Trinity 
Colleges  and  to  the  University  Church.  Crotch 
deputized  for  Randall  at  all  three  places.  When 
fourteen  he  composed  an  oratorio,  The  Captivity  of 
Judah,  which  was  performed  at  Trinity  Hall. 

In  1788  Crotch  proceeded  to  Oxford  with  the 
view  of  studying  for  Holy  Orders,  but  his  patron, 
the  Rev.  A.  Schomberg,  dying,  he  resumed  the 
profession  of  music,  and  was  appointed  organist  of 
Christ  Church  on  the  death  of  Thomas  Norris  in 
1790.  He  took  his  degree  of  Bachelor  in  Music  in 
1794.  Before  the  death  of  Dr.  Philip  Hayes  he 
conducted  the  concerts  in  the  Music  Room,  and 
continued  to  preside  at  them  for  several  years.  At 
Dr.  Hayes'  death,  in  1797,  he  was  made  organist  of 
S.  John's  College  and  succeeded  to  the  Professor- 
ship, though  only  twenty-two  years  of  age.  He 
took  his  degree  of  Doctor  in  1799,  and  in  1800  and 
the  four  following  years  read  lectures  in  the  Music 
School,  which  were  afterwards  published.  He  was 
also  organist  of  the  University  Church,  and  com- 
piled a  collection  of  psalm  tunes,  as  sung  at  the 
University  sermon,  together  with  Tallis'  Latin 
Litany,  as  used  on  the  first  day  of  Term. 

The  following  dialogue  is  stated,  on  the  authority 
of  George  Valentine  Cox,  to  have  taken  place,  at 
the  close  of  a  service,  between  Dr.  Cyril  Jackson, 
the  unmusical  Dean  of  Christ  Church,  and  Dr. 
Crotch : — 

Dean  (with  his  watch  in  his  hand,  but  no  music  in 
his  ear).    "  Mr.  Organist,  you  are  over  your  time." 

Dr.  C.    "  Mr.  Dean,  only  a  few  minutes." 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19™  CENTURY     447 

Dean.  "  Only  a  few  minutes,  sir  !  Why,  that's 
an  age  to  an  old  man  with  rheumatism  in  his  knees, 
and  sitting  under  your  noisy  organ."* 

The  Dean's  stall  was  then  literally  under  the 
organ,  which  at  that  time  stood  upon  the  oak  screen 
separating  the  choir  from  the  nave  and  transepts  of 
Christ  Church  Cathedral. 

In  1807  Crotch  resigned  all  his  Oxford  appoint- 
ments except  the  Professorship,  and  thenceforward 
spent  his  time  in  London,  being  elected,  in  1820, 
Lecturer  on  Music  at  the  Royal  Institution.  As  a 
lecturer  he  was  greatly  behind  his  age,  viewing  with 
suspicion  any  advance  in  the  art  of  music,  sacred  or 
secular.  Three  years  later,  on  the  establishment  of 
the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,  he  was  appointed  its 
first  principal,  but  he  was  no  disciplinarian,  and  he 
resigned  the  post  in  1832.  He  made  his  last  appear- 
ance in  public  as  a  performer  at  the  Musical  Festival 
in  Westminster  Abbey  in  1834,  wnen  ne  played  the 
organ  on  the  third  day. 

After  a  useful  and  honourable  life,  during  which 
he  suffered  much  from  delicate  health,  Dr.  Crotch 
died  suddenly,  whilst  seated  at  dinner,  at  the  house 
of  his  son,  the  Rev.  W.  R.  Crotch,  Head  Master  of 
Taunton  Grammar  School,  on  29  December,  1847. 
He  was  buried  in  the  neighbouring  churchyard  of 
Bishop's  Hull. 

Crotch's  Church  music  is  invariably  pleasing, 
though  it  cannot  be  said  to  represent  dignity  in  a 
high  form.  "  It  is  written  with  all  the  power  of 
one  familiar  with  scientific  resource  ;  the  melodies 
are  very  beautiful  and  the  harmonies  striking.  But 
there  is  not  often  a  feeling  of  exaltation  brought  to 

*  Recollections  of  Oxford,  1868,  p.  227. 


448     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

the  mind  by  his  music  as  a  whole,  though  in  parts 
there  are  touches  of  masterly  artistic  power."* 

About  1798  he  published  Ten  Anthems,  respect- 
fully dedicated  to  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Christ 
Church,  and  composed  for  the  use  of  that  Cathedral.^ 
Among  these,  "  Sing  we  merrily,"  "  How  dear  are 
Thy  counsels,"  "  O  Lord  God  of  hosts,"  and  "  Be 
merciful  unto  me  "  (with  its  pathetic  concluding 
verse  and  chorus,  "  Comfort  the  soul  of  Thy  ser- 
vant "),  keep  their  places  on  our  Cathedral  service 
lists.  His  fine  setting  of  Heber's  Trinity  Hymn, 
"  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,"  was  sung  for  the  first  time 
at  the  University  sermon  preached  by  his  son,  the 
Rev.  W.  R.  Crotch,  at  New  College,  Oxford,  on 
Trinity  Sunday,  1827.  Two  anthems,  written  at  a 
later  period — "  In  God's  Word  will  I  rejoice  "  and 
"  O  come  hither  and  hearken  " — were  published  by 
Cramer.  The  second  of  these  contains  a  fine  bass 
solo,  and  may  frequently  be  heard  at  Westminster 
Abbey. 

The  style  recommended  by  Crotch  for  the  em- 
ployment of  the  aspirants  for  the  Gresham  Prize 
Medal  is  by  no  means  represented  in  any  of  these 
anthems,  for  they  exhibit  "  variety,"  "  contrast," 
"  expression,"  and,  in  some  measure,  "  novelty  "  and 
"  originality."  His  views  on  the  subject  of  Church 
music  evidently  underwent  a  sudden  change. 

Crotch  will  perhaps  be  longest  remembered  by 
his  chants.  Of  the  many  composed  by  him,  thirteen 
were  published  (arranged  by  himself)  in  Bennett  and 

*  W.  A.  Barrett. 

f  Six  of  these  anthems  were  newly  edited  for  Novello,  in  1856, 
by  William  Henry  Monk,  Professor  of  Vocal  Music  in  King's 
College,  London,  and  organist  of  S.  Matthias,  Stoke  Newington. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY     449 

Marshall's  collections.  Some  of  these  had  appeared 
previously  in  a  collection  by  Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld, 
already  mentioned  in  connection  with  that  com- 
poser. Others,  again,  appeared  in  The  Cathedral 
Chant  Book,  a  collection  of  two  hundred,  compiled 
by  John  Marsh  (1752 -1828),  the  distinguished 
amateur  of  Chichester.  In  1842,  when  resident  at 
Kensington,  Crotch  collected  his  chants  from  the 
above  sources  and  published  them,  seventy  -  four 
in  number,  in  score  with  organ  accompaniment, 
oblong  4to.  The  first,  a  single  chant  in  D,  bears 
date  1787  ;  the  last,  a  double  chant  in  A  minor, 
1 841.  Those  previously  arranged  for  Bennett  and 
Marshall  were  given  with  more  or  less  difference  in 
the  harmony,  by  no  means  to  their  improvement. 

Crotch's  chef-d'oeuvre  was,  undoubtedly,  his  ora- 
torio, Palestine,  the  words  of  which  were  selected 
from  Bishop  Heber's  prize  poem.  It  was  first  per- 
formed at  the  Hanover  Square  Rooms  in  181 2,  but 
since  then  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  had  full  justice 
done  to  it.  It  was  revived  by  the  Sacred  Harmonic 
Society  in  1874,  and  of  late  years  portions  have 
been  adopted  for  use  as  anthems.  That  the  work 
is  an  effort  of  great  genius  no  one  can  venture  to 
urge  ;  but  that  there  is  an  amount  of  talent  dis- 
played in  parts  of  it  which  almost  reaches  that  high 
standard  is  equally  certain.  Of  the  choruses, 
"  Reft  of  thy  sons,"  "  Let  Sinai  tell,"  and  "  Worthy 
the  Lamb,"  may  be  pointed  out  as  standing  above 
the  rest.  In  the  last-named  it  was  difficult  to  avoid 
the  appearance,  at  least,  of  copying  the  immortal 
finale  of  Handel's  Messiah  ;  yet,  though  Crotch 
has  selected  the  same  key,  and  opens  his  chorus,  like 
that  of  Handel,  with  the  subject  sung  in  unison  by 


450     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

the  tenors  and  basses,  the  resemblance  stops  there, 
and  the  chorus,  as  it  proceeds,  vindicates  its  com- 
poser's claims  to  originality  as  well  as  sound  writing. 
The  most  popular  and  best-known  piece  in  the 
oratorio,  however,  is  the  quartett  in  G  major,  "  Lo, 
star-led  chiefs."  This  is  one  of  those  happy  thoughts 
that  occur  but  seldom,  even  to  the  greatest  com- 
posers ;  it  sings  throughout,  and  no  one  can  hear  it 
without  having  its  melody  sounding  in  his  ears  and 
haunting  his  memory  for  days  after. 

Besides  Palestine,  Crotch  wrote  another  oratorio, 
The  Captivity  of  Judak,  an  entirely  different  com- 
position from  his  juvenile  work  of  the  same  name. 
It  was  performed  for  the  first  time  at  the  Installation 
of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  as  Chancellor  of  the 
University  of  Oxford,  June,  1834. 

One  of  Crotch's  best  and  most  original  concep- 
tions was  his  motett,  "  Methinks  I  hear."  This 
piece,  seldom  performed  according  to  the  com- 
poser's original  intention,  is  for  five:  voices,  and 
while  a  chorus  in  four  parts  sings  merely  the  words, 
"  Hallelujah,  Amen,"  a  principal  bass  voice  has  the 
air  to  these  words  by  Thomson  : — 

Methinks  I  hear  the  full  celestial  choir 

Through  Heaven's  high  dome  their  awful  anthem  raise  ; 
Now  chanting  clear,  and  now  they  all  conspire 

To  swell  the  lofty  hymn  from  praise  to  praise. 

The  bass  solo  was  originally  written  for  James 
Bartleman,  whom  the  famous  surgeon,  Abernethy,  de- 
scribed as  "  an  orator  in  music."  William  Gardiner, 
of  Leicester,  gave  in  his  book  Music  and  Friends 
3.  picturesque  anecdote  respecting  Bartleman  and 
Crotch's  motett  which  is  worthy  of  transcription. 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     451 

Gardiner,  then,  is  present  at  a  musical  evening  in 
the  country — "  a  rich  evening,"  as  he  calls  it — when 
Crotch's  motett  is  sung  under  the  following  cir- 
cumstances : — 

"  In  the  principal  room  where  the  company  sat, 
some  sounds  were  heard  of  an  organ,  and  melodious 
voices  streaming  from  a  distant  apartment,  when 
Bartleman  started  up,  and  in  an  undertone  of  voice, 
singing  in  his  impressive  way,  began  with  '  Methinks 
I  hear  the  full  celestial  choir.'  Then  stopping  to 
listen,  the  company  amazed,  stretched  their  ears, 
and  drank  in  the  pleasing  sound.  On  his  coming 
to  the  words,  'Now  chanting  clear,'  the  distant 
door  was  opened,  and  the  magic  swelling  of  the 
sounds  enraptured  the  audience." 

In  1826  Crotch  contributed  two  pieces  to  a  col- 
lection of  original  sacred  music,  compiled  by  Alfred 
Pettet,  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Beckwith  and  organist  of 
S.  Peter  Mancroft,  Norwich.  These  were  an 
anthem  for  four  voices,  "  O  Lord,  from  Whom  all 
good  things  do  come,"  and  a  motett  for  five  voices, 
to  words  by  Milman,*  "  Weep  not  for  me,"  the 
leading  subject  of  which  is  one  employed  by  Blow, 
Clari,  and  Handel.  Crotch  was  the  composer  of 
two  anthems  of  large  dimensions — one,  "  The  joy 
of  our  heart  is  ceased,"  written  in  1827  on  the 
occasion  of  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  York,  and 
printed  in  full  score  ;  the  other,  "  The  Lord  is 
King,"  composed  in  1843  for  the  concerts  of  the 
Sacred  Harmonic  Society. 

No  liturgical  music  by  Crotch  can  be  discovered 

*  Henry  Hart  Milman,  then  Professor  of  Poetry  in  the 
University  of  Oxford,  and  subsequently  (1849-68)  Dean  of 
S,  Paul's. 


452      ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

beyond  a  setting  of  the  Kyrie  Eleison  in  F,  con- 
tributed to  Lyra  Ecclesiastica,  a  collection  of  ser- 
vices, anthems,  chants,  psalm  tunes,  and  organ 
pieces,  edited  in  1844  by  the  Rev.  Joshua  Fawcett, 
and  a  Gloria  Patri  (a  canon  2  in  1).  published  in 
The  Harmonic  on.  His  instrumental  music  includes 
a  set  of  twelve  fugues  on  chants  by  Henley,  Battis- 
hill,  Soper,  Norm,  Jones,  Philip  Hayes.  \V.  R. 
Crotch,  Blow,  and  others,  published  by  R.  Mills 
between  1835  and  1837.  These  are  "extremely 
clever.  He  also  published  Rules  for  Chanting  the 
Psalms  of  the  Day,  and  a  set  of  psalm  tunes  for  the 
use  of  parish  churches,  originally  (1836)  arranged 
for  the  organ  and  a  single  voice,  but  afterwards 
(1842)  republished  in  score  by  Dr.  G.  J.  Elvey. 
He  contributed  nine  tunes  to  the  second  edition 
of  Hacketrs  National  Psalmist,  published  in  1842. 
His  secular  music  includes  a  number  of  sinfonies, 
sonatas,  and  concertos  ;  an  ode,  "  Mona  on  Snowden 
calls  "  ;  and  two  fine  glees,  "  Go,  tuneful  bird/' 
and  "  Yield  thee  to  pleasure,  old  care.;?  He  wrote 
several  didactic  works,  among  them  A  treatise  on 
Harmony  and  Elements  of  Musical  Composition. 
His  Lectures,  read  in  London  and  Oxford,  are  now 
of  little  value  ;  but  the  three  volumes  containing 
specimens  of  the  various  styles  of  music  referred  to 
therein  are  useful.  As  regards  Church  music, 
Crotch  chose  to  fix  upon  one  chronological  date  as 
the  rise  of  the  "  pure  sublime  "  style,  and  another 
chronological  date  as  the  period  of  its  decline.  In 
exemplifying  his  theory  he  made  one  ludicrous  mis- 
take. As  an  instance  of  the  Church  school  in  its 
perfection  he  quoted,  in  one  of  his  Lectures,  a 
double  chant  in  D  minor,  imagining  it  was  the  com- 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY     453 

position  of  Thomas  Morley,  of  1585,  whereas  it  was 
that  of  William  Morley,  who  died  more  than  a 
hundred  years  later. 

Crotch  was  a  well-read  theologian,  and  left,  in 
MS.,  a  complete  Commentary  on  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  and  the  Book  of  Psalms.* 

In  the  music  library  at  S.  Michael's  College, 
Tenbury,  there  are  three  oblong  quarto  volumes 
in  manuscript,  containing  Crotch's  contributions  to 
the  Harmonic  Society  of  Oxford  between  1796 
and  1803.  These  compositions  comprise  30  sacred 
canons,  12  rounds,  12  glees,  and  12  motetts  or 
anthems.  All,  with  the  exception  of  two  anthems 
and  three  glees,  are  unpublished.  Among  the 
members  of  this  Society  were  William  Beale, 
William  Horsley,  J.  W.  Callcott,  Thomas  Attwood, 
J.  C.  Pring,  Cipriani  Potter,  Dr.  Burney,  William 
Jackson  of  Exeter,  John  Marsh,  the  Rev.  R.  P. 
Goodenough,  and  Crotch  himself. 

The  subjoined  appreciation  of  Dr.  Crotch  was 
written  in  1870  by  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Havergal  for 
his  Psalmody  and  Century  of  Chants  : — 

Dr.  Crotch,  born  at  Norwich  in  1 775,  was,  as  to  musical 
genius,  a  child  of  European  celebrity.  A  synoptical  account 
of  his  singular  precocity,  and  of  his  subsequent  history  up 
to  the  date  of  his  Oxford  professorship  at  the  early  age 
of  twenty-two,  may  be  found  in  the  Dictionary  of  Musicians. 
But  the  remarkable  points  of  his  later  life  do  not  appear 
to  have  met  with  any  record.  The  knowledge  of  these  is 
now  confined  to  a  very  limited  circle  of  surviving  friends. 
The  author  of  the  present  work  ventures,  therefore,  on  a 

*  The  Commentary  on  the  Psalms  is  in  my  possession.  A 
memorandum  on  the  last  page  states  :  "  I  finished  writing  these  notes, 
Sunday,  Aug.  2,  1829.     Wm.  Crotch."— J.  S.  B. 


454     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

brief  narration  of  such  facts  as  came  within  the  range  of 
his  own  observation. 

The  diminutive  frame  and  noble  head  of  Dr.  Crotch 
were  types  of  his  feeble  health  and  masterly  talent.  .  .  . 
His  manual  faculties  were  unique.  He  could  write  with 
his  left  hand  as  easily  as  with  his  right ;  and  even  with 
both  hands  at  once  when  penning  a  piece  of  music. 
Specimens  of  this  ambidexterity  can  be  shown.  Though 
he  could  not  span  more  than  an  octave,  and  organ  pedals 
were  unknown,  yet  his  extemporaneous  Basses  were  not 
only  flowing,  but  singularly  full  and  fine.  By  an  almost 
legerdemain  use  of  his  fingers  and  knuckles,  he  could — 
as  when  a  child — produce  astonishing  effects.  From  his 
boyhood,  he  could  manipulate  a  violin,  in  almost  every 
imaginable  position.  He  occasionally  played  a  duet  with 
one  or  other  of  the  great  Cramers  —  father  or  son — at  the 
Hanover  Square  Rooms. 

He  had  also  remarkable  talent  in  sketching  views  and 
etching  them.  He  published  Six  Views  in  the  Neighbourhood 
of  Oxford,  and  six  others  of  The  Fire  at  Christ  Church. 
For  a  time,  and,  as  he  said,  "  for  fun ,"  he  taught  drawing 
in  a  ladies'  boarding-school,  while  some  ordinary  master 
taught  music.  He  was  well  known  as  extremely  clever 
in  pencilling  a  person's  likeness  to  the  very  life,  while 
holding  a  short  conversation  with  him.  The  Great  Walk  in 
Christ  Church  Meadows  used  not  unfrequently  to  witness 
his  skill  as  a  pyrotechnist.  Some  of  his  devices  were  not 
only  very  elegant,  but  very  original ;  not  a  few  of  them 
are  unconsciously  perpetuated  in  the  firework  displays  of 
the  present  time. 

What  was  far  better,  no  auditor  in  the  University  Church 
was  more  attentive  than  he ;  nor  could  anyone  surpass  him 
in  giving  an  account  of  some  memorable  sermon.  It  was 
no  uncommon  thing  for  him,  while  seated  in  the  organ-loft, 
to  take  shorthand  notes,  and  to  append  to  them  a  vivid  pro- 
file of  the  preacher. 

Summarily,  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  genuine  merits 
of  Dr.  Crotch  were  never,  during  his  life,  adequately 
appreciated.     His  retiring  disposition  might,  in  some  degree, 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     455 

account  for  this.  They  who  heard  his  organ  or  pianoforte 
performances  will  never  forget  that  union  of  brilliancy  and 
majesty,  precision  and  power,  which  they  uniformly  pre- 
sented. "Strange,"  said  a  friend,  "that  a  form  so 
diminutive  can  produce  sounds  so  mighty."  "Never,"  said 
another,  "  did  I  perceive  the  beauties  of  the  Hailstone 
Chorus  till  I  heard  him  play  it,  on  one  of  Broadwood's 
grand  pianofortes,  at  the  Surrey  Institution.  It  seemed  as 
though  I  heard  the  hailstones  rattle  and  saw  the  fire  run 
along  the  ground.  No  orchestra  ever  produced  an  effect 
at  once  so  vivid  and  so  thrilling." 

Dr.  Crotch,  as  one  of  the  most  learned  and  accom- 
plished English  musicians,  merits  such  a  memorial  as  is  not 
yet  extant. 

In  the  same  month  and  year  as  the  death  of  Dr. 
Crotch  occurred  that  of  Sir  John  Leman  Rogers, 
who,  although  an  amateur,  was  worthy  to  stand  in 
the  presence  of  many  a  good  professor.  He  was 
born  18  April,  1780,  and  was  educated  at  Win- 
chester College  (Co.  Prce.)  1795)  and  at  New  College, 
Oxford.  He  was  the  son  and  heir  of  Sir  Frederick 
Leman  Rogers,  m.p.,  Recorder  of  Plymouth,  the 
fifth  baronet,  and  succeeded  his  father  in  the  title 
June,  1797.  In  1820  he  was  elected  President  of 
the  Madrigal  Society,  and  held  office  until  his  re- 
tirement in  1 841.  A  very  scientific  musician  and 
composer  of  the  first  class  in  a  particular  style,  he 
made  an  excellent  President,  for  he  knew  how  to 
bring  and  bind  together  the  lovers  of  ancient  music  ; 
and  being  a  forcible  and  good  speaker,  with  much 
wit  and  humour,  he  kept  everybody  and  everything 
up  to  the  true  point.  As  a  Church  composer  he  is 
remembered  by  his  excellent  chants  and  by  his  full 
Cathedral  Service  in  F,  which  combines  grace  of 
melody  with  perspicuity  of  harmony — a   style   in 


456     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

which  he  took  especial  delight.  This  composition 
was  written  in  1839  at  tne  instance  of  his  friend 
James  Turle,  organist  of  Westminster  Abbey,  at  which 
church  it  was,  until  comparatively  recently,  in  con- 
stant use.  It  was  published  in  score  by  Cramer  and 
Lonsdale,  under  the  editorship  of  Thomas  Oliphant, 
secretary  of  the  Madrigal  Society.  Subsequently 
the  plates  and  copyright  were  purchased  by  Novello. 
Seven  chants  by  Sir  John  Rogers  were  printed  by 
Goss  in  his  collection,  Chants,  Ancient  and  Modern 
(1841)  ;  and  three  psalm  tunes  —  "  Blachford," 
"  Canterbury,"  and  "  Maidstone  " — appeared  in 
Hackett's  National  Psalmist  (1842).  He  wrote 
several  anthems,  one  of  which,  "  Be  Thou  my 
Judge,"  was  sung  at  the  Commemoration  of  Sir 
Thomas  Gresham,  held  at  the  Egyptian  Hall, 
Mansion  House,  in  1836,  on  which  occasion  Charles 
Lucas  gained  the  Gresham  Prize  Medal  for  his 
Magnificat  in  F.  Another  anthem,  "  Hear  the 
right,  O  Lord,"  written  on  the  death  of  Philip 
Salter,  one  of  the  lay  vicars  of  Exeter  Cathedral, 
was  inserted  by  Henry  Haycraft,  organist  of  S.  Pet- 
rock's  Church,  Exeter,  in  his  collection,  Sacred 
Music,  published  by  Mori  and  Lavenu  in  1837.  ^n 
the  composition  of  glees  and  madrigals  he  vied  with 
another  titled  amateur,  Lord  Mornington.  A 
volume,  containing  sixteen  of  his  glees  for  3,  4,  5, 
and  6  voices,  was  published  about  1845  under 
Thomas  Oliphant's  editorship.  Some  of  these  in- 
cline to  the  madrigalian  style — "  Hears  not  my 
Phillis,"  "  See,  Flora  fair,"  and  "  O  say,  ye  saints," 
are  among  the  best.  The  last-named  was  first  sung 
at  the  Madrigal  Society  on  18  July,  1839,  and  is 
still  a  favourite  at  its  meetings.    His  establishment, 


FIRST  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY     457 

at  Westminster  Abbey,  of  an  annual  service  in  com- 
memoration of  Tallis  has  already  been  noticed. 

Sir  John  Rogers  died  at  his  seat,  Blachford,  Ivy- 
bridge,  South  Devon,  on  10  December,  1847.  He 
was  unmarried,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  baronetcy 
by  his  brother,  Frederick  Leman  Rogers,  who  died 
in  1 85 1,  and  who,  in  turn,  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Frederick  Rogers,  raised  to  the  peerage  in  1871  as 
Baron  Blachford.*  The  baronetcy,  created  in  1698, 
became  extinct  on  Lord  Blachford's  death  in  1889. 

Sir  John  Rogers  was  a  keen  sportsman,  and  took 
a  prominent  part  in  the  Conservative  politics  of  the 
county  of  Devon.  When  in  town  he  was  a  con- 
stant attendant  at  Westminster  Abbey,  and  after 
the  services  was  fond  of  strolling  about  the  cloisters 
with  his  friend  Turle.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
Sir  John  said  :  "  Oh,  Turle,  I  heard  a  very  good 
story  yesterday  which  I  must  repeat  to  you.  A 
nobleman  (mentioning  his  name)  came  up  to 
London  a  few  weeks  ago  for  the  season,  bringing 
with  him  his  two  grown-up  daughters.  At  the 
breakfast-table  a  few  mornings  ago  he  said  to  them, 
c  Now,  girls,  you  have  asked  me  more  than  once  to 
let  you  have  some  music  lessons  while  you  are  in 
town,  and  I  have  decided  that  it  shall  be  as  you 
wish.'  '  Oh,  thank  you,  dear  papa.'  c  Last  night,' 
he  went  on  to  say,  '  I  dined  with  the  members  of 
one  of  the  leading  musical  societies,  and  sat  next  to 
a  most  agreeable,  jovial  fellow,  whom  I  liked  so 
much  that  I  invited  him  to  come  and  coach  you, 
and  he  is  to  be  here  to-morrow  morning  at  ten 

*  Under-Secretary  of  State  for  the  Colonies,  1860-71.  His 
Letters,  published  in  1896,  throw  much  fresh  light  on  the  Oxford 
Movement,  in  which  he  took  a  prominent  part. 


458     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

o'clock.'  '  Oh,  thanks.  What  is  his  name  ?  ' 
'  Here  is  his  card.  His  name  is  Dr.  Breve.' 
'  What  !  '  exclaimed  the  two  young  ladies  at  the 
same  moment,  c  a  Doctor  of  Music  ?  '  *  Yes,  my 
dears.  Why,  what  is  the  matter  with  you  both  ?  ' 
'  Oh,  papa,  it  is  quite  too  dreadful.'  '  Why,  I 
thought  I  was  doing  quite  right.  What  is  amiss  ?  ' 
1  Dear  papa,  this  gentleman  may  be  what  you  call 
a  most  agreeable,  jovial  fellow,  but  he  is  sure  to 
bring  us  such  dry  music'  " 

The  late  Dr.  E.  J.  Hopkins,  who  was  present  on 
the  above  occasion  with  Turle  and  Sir  John  Rogers, 
used  to  quote  this  anecdote  in  talking  of  musical 
degrees,  which  seventy  years  ago  were  not  so  highly 
valued  and  esteemed  as  they  were  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  or  as  they  are  at  the  present  day.  In  fact, 
during  the  earlier  part  of  the  last  century  degrees 
were  rarely  possessed  by  the  then  leading  members 
of  the  musical  profession.  For  instance,  among 
those  who  passed  through  life  successfully  without 
the  assistance  of  any  such  diplomatic  distinction 
were  Thomas  Attwood,  old  Sam  Wesley  and  his 
brother  Charles,  Thomas  Adams,  the  celebrated 
organist  James  Turle,  and,  somewhat  later,  Henry 
Smart  and,  until  quite  late  in  life,  Sir  John  Goss. 

By  "  dry "  music  the  aforesaid  young  ladies 
meant  classical  music,  which  frequently  is  dry  or 
most  interesting,  according  to  the  manner  in  which 
it  is  set  before  the  learner.  Classical  music,  it  is 
hardly  necessary  to  observe,  requires  to  be  analysed 
to  the  student ;  its  form  explained  ;  its  construc- 
tion exhibited  ;  and  its  various  details  and  beauties 
enlarged  upon.  But  that  is  precisely  what,  in  times 
gone  by,  sometimes  was  not  done. 


CHAPTER   XII 

CATHEDRAL   MUSIC   DURING  THE  SECOND   HALF  OF  THE 
NINETEENTH    CENTURY 

The  five  composers  who  have  been  selected  to 
typically  represent  the  period  forming  the  subject 
of  our  present  and  last  chapter  are  Thomas  Attwood 
Walmisley,  Samuel  Sebastian  Wesley,  Henry  Smart, 
John  Goss,  and  Frederick  A.  Gore  Ouseley. 

Of  course,  one  is  by  no  means  unmindful  of  the 
fact  that  during  the  same  period  was  accomplished 
the  best  work  of  such  masters  as  James  Turle, 
George  J.  Elvey,  William  Sterndale  Bennett,* 
George  A.  Macfarren,*  Edward  J.  Hopkins,  Robert 
P.  Stewart,  and,  later  on,  that  of  a  younger  genera- 
tion, of  which  Charles  Steggall,  John  B.  Dykes, 
J.  Baptiste  Calkin,  John  M.  Young,  George  B. 
Arnold,  Herbert  Oakeley,  George  M.  Garrett, 
Philip  Armes,  Berthold  Tours,  Joseph  Barnby,  John 
Stainer,  Henry  Gadsby,  and  Arthur  Sullivan  may 
be  claimed  as  the  representatives. 

To  do  full  justice  to  the  lives  and  works  of  these 
nineteen  composers,  with  brief  sketches  of  many  of 
lesser  note — to  say  nothing  of  such  distinguished 

*  Although  Bennett  and  his  successor  in  the  Professorship  of 
Music  at  Cambridge,  Macfarren,  never  held  Cathedral  appointments, 
both  wrote  for  the  Church. 

459 


460     ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 

writers  for  the  Church  who  are  still  with  us,  as 
Sir  George  Martin,  Sir  Frederick  Bridge,  Dr.  W.  B. 
Gilbert,  Dr.  Ebenezer  Prout,  Dr.  C.  Harford  Lloyd, 
Sir  Villiers  Stanford,  Sir  Walter  Parratt,  Dr.  A.  H. 
Mann,  Mr.  Myles  B.  Foster,  Mr.  John  E.  West, 
Mr.  Charles  Macpherson,  Dr.  W.  G.  Alcock,  and 
others — a  volume  almost  the  size  of  that  of  the 
present  one  would  be  required. 

However,  it  is  gratifying  to  observe  that  bio- 
graphy has  not  been  neglected  so  far  as  nine  out  of 
the  above  list  of  composers  are  concerned.  We  have 
The  Life  of  Sterndale  Bennett,  by  his  son,  Mr.  J.  R. 
Sterndale  Bennett ;  The  Life  of  Sir  George  Mac- 
farren,  by  the  late  Mr.  H.  C.  Bannister  ;  The  Life 
and  Reminiscences  of  Sir  George  J.  Elvey,  by  Lady 
Elvey  ;  A  Memoir  of  Sir  Robert  Stewart,  by  the  late 
Rev.  O.  J.  Vignoles ;  The  Life  of  Sir  Herbert  Oakeley, 
by  Mr.  E.  M.  Oakeley  ;  The  Life  and  Letters  of  the 
Rev.  J.  B.  Dykes,  by  the  Rev.  J.  T.  Fowler  ;  and 
memoirs  of  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan,  by  Messrs.  Arthur 
Lawrence,  W.  J.  Wells,  and  H.  Saxe-Wyndham. 
To  these  books,  all  of  which  are  replete  with  in- 
terest, the  reader  is  referred.  The  admirable  ac- 
counts of  Sir  John  Stainer,  Dr.  Steggall,  Dr.  G.  B. 
Arnold,  Dr.  Armes,  and  Dr.  E.  J.  Hopkins,  con- 
tributed in  recent  years  by  Mr.  F.  G.  Edwards  to 
the  columns  of  the  Musical  Times,  should  also  be 
consulted.  Some  of  these  accounts  have  the  addi- 
tional advantage  of  being  illustrated. 

In  the  person  of  Thomas  Attwood  Walmisley 
we  have  presented  to  our  notice  the  somewhat  rare 
instance  of  an  English  Church  composer  combining 
sound   musicianship   with   extensive   mathematical 


SECOND  HALF  OF   19™  CENTURY    461 

and  literary  abilities.  The  subject  of  our  present 
sketch  was  born  at  18  Cowley  Street,  Westminster, 
on  21  January,  18 14.  His  father,  Thomas  Forbes 
Walmisley  (son  of  William  Walmisley,  Clerk  of  the 
Papers  to  the  House  of  Lords),  was  a  musician  of 
excellent  repute,  and  for  many  years  (1814-54)  held 
the  post  of  organist  of  S.  Martin-in-the-Fields. 

After  receiving  his  early  instructions  in  music 
from  his  father,  Walmisley  was  placed,  for  the  more 
advanced  branches  of  study,  under  his  godfather, 
Thomas  Attwood.  It  will  thus  be  perceived  that 
his  musical  pedigree  was  a  good  one,  and  the  influ- 
ence not  only  of  his  master,  but  also  that  of  Mozart, 
is  clearly  traceable  in  several  of  his  compositions. 
He  was  accustomed  to  relate,  in  reference  to  Att- 
wood's  devotion  to  Mozart,  that  when  Don  Giovanni 
was  first  performed  in  England  Attwood  attended 
as  a  listener  for  twenty-one  nights  in  succession. 

Walmisley's  musical  proficiency  declared  itself  at 
an  early  age.  "  He  was,"  wrote  his  father,  "  an 
intelligent  and  endearing  child."  At  fifteen  he  was 
considered  a  good  performer  on  the  organ  and 
pianoforte,  and  two  years  later  he  found  himself 
organist  of  the  parish  church  of  Croydon.  From 
the  vicinity  of  his  father's  house  to  Westminster 
Abbey,  the  young  musician  enjoyed  frequent  oppor- 
tunities of  hearing  the  service  performed  in  that 
noble  church,  accompanied  on  what  was  then  con- 
sidered "  one  of  the  most  mellow  and  exquisitely 
toned  organs  in  the  world."  Vincent  Novello,  who 
was  at  that  time  a  great  frequenter  of  Westminster 
Abbey,  recollected  often  seeing  "  Mr.  Walmisley 
(then  a  mere  boy)  in  the  organ-loft  there,  listening 
with  profound  attention  and  evident  delight  to  the 
2  H 


462      ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

solemn  and  impressive  effects  of  the  choir,  when 
chaunting  the  glorious  works  of  Tallis,  Blow, 
Orlando  Gibbons,  Purcell,  Croft,  and  other  great 
writers  of  the  real  English  school,  and  gradually 
forming  his  taste  upon  the  noble  simplicity,  the 
grand  harmonies,  the  solid  and  masterly  counter- 
point, and  the  severe  magnificence  and  sublimity  of 
style  to  be  found  in  the  admirable  productions  of 
our  old  Cathedral  composers. *' 

In  1829,  when  only  sixteen,  Walmisley  acted  as 
umpire  at  a  competition  for  the  organistship  of  the 
new  church  of  S.  James',  Bermondsey.  The  succ  ■ 
ful  candidate  was  James  Turle,  who  two  years  later 
became  organist  of  Westminster  Abbey.  The 
amusing  notes  made  by  Walmisley  on  the  playing 
of  the  various  candidates,  among  whom  was  Gaunt- 
lett.  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the  present  writer. 

\\  hile  at  Croydon  Walmisley  became  acquainted 
with  the  amiable  and  learned  Thomas  Miller,  a 
famous  Cambridge  coach,  formerly  Fellow  of 
Trinity  and  Senior  Medallist,  who  encouraged  his 
love  for  literature  and  mathematics. 

About  1832  Monck  Mason,  the  impresario, 
endeavoured  to  secure  Walmisley  for  the  composi- 
tion of  English  Opera,  but  he  was  unsuccessful,  our 
composer  having  decided  to  proceed  to  Cambridge, 
where,  on  I  February,  1835.  he  was  unanimously 
elected  to  the  united  organistships  of  Trinity  and 
S.  John's  Colleges.  His  predecessor  was  Samuel 
Matthews,  Mus.B..  "  a  kindly  man  in  private,  but 
a  regular  martinet  during  '  official  hours.'  "  * 

*  William  Glove:,  Mcwmrs  if  A  Cj~ '-:.:'::  Gbtristert  II,  143 

1885)1      G       id    M  -.thews,    born   in    1796,    was    a  chorister   in 

Westminster  Abbey  under   Robert   Cooke,   and  afterwards  a  lay 


SECOND   HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY    463 

At  Cambridge,  Walmisley  found  choirs  worthy  of 
the  best  efforts  of  his  genius,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
appointment  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the 
requisitions  of  the  statutes  of  that  world-renowned 
foundation,  Trinity  College,  were,  with  two  ex- 
ceptions, as  regarded  the  choral  arrangements, 
fulfilled  to  the  very  letter.  One  of  these  exceptions 
was  the  reading  of  the  prayers  by  the  chaplains,  con- 
trary to  the  only  mode  sanctioned  by  the  Church 
at  choral  service,  viz.  intoning.  The  advantages  of 
the  ecclesiastical  chant  for  audibility  and  solemnity 
have  been  so  often  set  forth,  and  are  now  so  gene- 
rally allowed,  that  there  is  no  need  to  enlarge  upon 
them  in  this  place.  The  other  omission  was  the 
disuse  of  the  weekday  choral  service,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  "  surplice  days,"  that  is,  Saturday  even- 
ings, and  Saints'  days  and  their  eves.  At  this  time 
the  musical  staff  of  Trinity  consisted  of  four  chap- 
lains in  priests'  orders,  six  lay  clerks,  ten  choristers, 
and  a  music-master  and  organist.  The  same  lay 
clerks  and  choristers  did  duty  at  S.  John's  College 
as  well,  the  latter  being  sent,  at  the  joint  expense 
of  the  two  colleges,  to  a  private  school  in  Downing 
Terrace,  and  subsequently  to  one  in  Prospect  Row. 

The  organ  in  Trinity  Chapel  (originally  built  by 
Father  Smith  in  1708)  has  long  been  famous,  and 

clerk  of  Winchester  Cathedral.  He  was  appointed  organist  of 
Trinity  and  S.  John's  Colleges,  Cambridge,  on  the  resignation  of 
William  Beale,  the  distinguished  madrigal  writer,  in  1822,  and 
died  9  December,  1832,  aged  36.  One  of  his  principal  publica- 
tions was  a  volume,  Four  Verse  Anthems  adapted  to  English 
Words  from  the  Sacred  Works  of  Haydn,  Mozart,  and  Pergolesi. 
He  also  wrote  a  Te  Deum  and  Jubilate  in  F,  printed  in  Binfield's 
Choral  Service  of  the  Church  (8vo,  1849);  but  he  is  now  chiefly 
remembered  by  two  double  chants. 


464     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

shortly  after  Walmisley's  appointment  great  im- 
provements were  made  in  it.  An  interesting  and 
exhaustive  account  of  this  instrument  was  con- 
tributed by  the  late  Mr.  Gerard  F.  Cobb  to  the 
Trident,  June  and  December,  1890. 

In  a  valuable  work,  The  Cambridge  Portfolio — a 
collection  of  papers  by  various  writers  on  matters 
of  interest  connected  with  the  University,  and 
edited  by  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Smith,  2  vols.  (1840) — 
there  is  an  account  of  the  organs  in  some  of  the 
churches  and  college  chapels,  contributed  by  Wal- 
misley ;  likewise  a  description  of  the  service  in 
Trinity  Chapel  from  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  William 
Selwyn,  Fellow  of  S.  John's,  from  which  the  sub- 
joined remarks  are  extracted  : — 

"  The  interest  which  belongs  to  Trinity  Chapel  is 
of  a  higher  order  than  that  which  is  due  to  the 
powers  of  art ;  it  is  one  of  religious  feeling  and 
association ;  it  is  a  matter  of  heart  and  mind  and 
soul.  In  no  other  place  does  there  exist  so  impres- 
sive a  demonstration  of  the  religious  spirit  of  our 
academic  institutions.  The  large  number  of  students, 
the  great  body  of  resident  fellows,  many  of  them 
distinguished  in  various  walks  of  learning,  the  ancient 
names  of  glory  connected  with  this  college,  combine 
to  render  the  celebration  of  Divine  Worship  in  this 
Chapel  more  than  usually  solemn  and  affecting." 

In  another  part  of  his  paper  Mr.  Selwyn  dwells 
very  feelingly  on  the  singing  by  the  Trinity  choir 
of  Boyce's  noble  anthem,  "  O  where  shall  wisdom 
be  found  ?  "  a  composition  at  all  times  impressive, 
but  doubly  so  when  heard  in  a  congregation  like  that 
of  Trinity,  a  congregation  composed  almost  exclu- 
sively of  those  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge, 


SECOND  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY    465 

in  a  place  rich  in  the  records  of  departed  genius  and 
virtue,  and  of  the  wise  and  good  of  many  genera- 
tions. Surely  no  one  can  sit  there  on  such  occa- 
sions without  feeling  his  spirits  raised  and  his  heart 
improved  by  the  influence  of  time  and  place.  This 
is,  indeed,  one  of  the  most  powerful  triumphs  of 
Church  music,  whose  solemn  touches  are  here 
rendered  irresistible  by  their  union  with  the 
striking  words  of  Scripture  and  with  the  whole 
power  of  local  association.  Next  to  that  wonderful 
and  never-to-be-forgotten  Sunday  evensong  in 
King's  College  Chapel,  few  things  are  more  gratify- 
ing than  a  visit  to  Trinity  on  a  Sunday  morning  in 
full  Term ;  to  sit  at  the  extreme  western  end  of 
the  ante-chapel ;  to  view  through  the  open  doors 
of  the  screen  that  vast  surpliced  army, 

Kneeling  and  worshipping  together. 

and  to  listen  to  the  distant  choir  in  the  singing  of 
Matin  or  Eucharistic  Office  ;  and  finally,  while  the 
noble  organ  is  breathing  forth  its  solemn  notes  of 
dismissal,  to  dwell  for  a  short  time  on  the  memorials 
of  departed  genius  in  which  this  college  is  so  rich, 
and  for  which  no  more  appropriate  place  could  be 
found  than  this  entrance  to  the  House  of  Prayer  ;  re- 
serving for  the  last  that  masterpiece  of  Roubiliac, 
the  marble  statue  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  the  ever- 
present  glory  of  Trinity,  a  monument  which,  once 
gazed  upon,  is  ever  remembered.  As  Mr.  Selwyn 
beautifully  puts  it  : — 

"  The  eye  of  the  philosopher  uplifted  to  Heaven, 
the  happy  serenity  which  pervades  the  features, 
may  well  persuade  us  (and  in  this  hallowed  place 
who  can  refuse  to  believe  ?)  that  in  this  outward 


466     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

form  was  enshrined  a  spirit  full  of  immortality  ;  a 
soul  touched  with  *  the  tender  mercy  of  our  God, 
whereby  the  dayspring  from  on  high  hath  visited 
us.'  " 

Soon  after  his  arrival  at  Cambridge,  Walmisley 
took  his  degree  of  Bachelor  in  Music,  but  he  did 
not  proceed  as  Doctor  until  1848.  In  the  Graduates' 
list  the  date  of  the  latter  is  incorrectly  given  as  1846. 
Walmisley's  exercise  on  the  occasion  of  his  gradu- 
ating as  Bachelor  was  a  setting  of  a  portion  of  the 
68th  Psalm,  "  Let  God  arise,"  which  had,  of  course, 
accompaniments  for  an  orchestra.  He  then  re- 
quested leave  to  graduate  in  arts,  which,  on  a  speci- 
men of  his  attainments  being  given,  was  granted, 
and  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Corpus  Christi,  but 
subsequently  migrated  to  Jesus.  He  took  his  degree 
of  M.A.  in  1 841,  and  competed,  unsuccessfully,  for 
the  University  Prize  Poem.  One  of  his  first  Church 
compositions  at  Cambridge  was  a  fine  anthem,  "  O 
give  thanks,"  expressly  written  for  the  Commemo- 
ration of  Founders  and  Benefactors  at  Trinity  on 
27  October,  1834.  Another  anthem,  "  O  God,  the 
King  of  Glory,"  and  the  noble  Morning  Service  in 
B^,  were  composed  in  the  same  year.  A  treble  solo, 
"  Lord,  help  us  on  Thy  Word  to  feed,"  doubtless 
belongs  to  this  period.  It  was  contributed  to  The 
Sacred  Minstrel^  a  collection  of  songs,  duets,  and 
trios,  compiled  by  John  Goss,  which  appeared  in 
periodical  numbers  between  1833  and  1835.  His 
Morning  and  Evening  Service  in  C  major,  in  the 
short,  full  style  of  Boyce,  was  written  while  he  was 
organist  of  Croydon.  It  was  sung  at  Streatham 
Church  on  Sunday,  16  October,  1 831,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  opening  of  the  new  organ  by  Bishop, 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY    467 

the  composer  presiding  on  the  occasion.  The  ser- 
vice paper  lies  before  the  writer.  On  it  were  printed 
in  full  the  words  of  the  two  anthems  sung,  "  Blessed 
be  Thou  "  and  "  Sing,  O  Heavens,"  both  by  Kent. 

In  July,  1835,  the  Marquis  of  Camden  was  in- 
stalled Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Cambridge, 
and  Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld,  the  then  Professor  of 
Music,  being  incapacitated  by  illness,  the  task  of 
composing  an  ode  fell  upon  Walmisley.  The  per- 
formance took  place  in  the  Senate  House,  the  ex- 
ponents of  the  solo  parts  being  Malibran,  Terrail  (a 
favourite  festival  alto  of  enormous  bulk),  Braham, 
Henry  Phillips,  and  John  Parry.  Sir  George  Smart 
conducted,  and  Francois  Cramer  led  the  band, 
which  included  Lindley  and  Dragonetti.  The  ode 
(written  by  Dr.  Christopher  Wordsworth,  Master 
of  Trinity)  proved  a  great  success,  one  of  the 
quartetts  therein,  "  Fair  is  the  warrior's  mural 
crown,"  being  especially  noteworthy. 

In  the  next  year  Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld  died,  and 
Walmisley  was  unanimously  elected  his  successor  in 
the  professorial  chair  of  music.  At  this  time  the 
office  had  become  a  mere  sinecure,  the  salary  being 
extremely  small  and  the  Professor  not  even  being 
required  to  reside.  However,  on  Walmisley's 
accession  a  new  order  of  things  was  established. 

In  knowledge  of  musical  history  and  general 
cultivation  he  was  in  advance  of  most  English 
musicians,  and  was  the  first  to  introduce  the  system 
of  musical  lectures  illustrated  by  practical  examples. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  of  his  course  was  that 
on  the  rise  and  origin  of  the  pianoforte,  in  which, 
as  one  of  his  biographers*  informs  us,  he  incidentally 
*  Mr.  Arthur  Duke  Coleridge. 


468     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

spoke  of  Bach's  Mass  in  B  minor  as  the  greatest 
composition  in  the  world,  and  prophesied  that  the 
publication  of  the  Cantatas  (then  in  MS.)  would 
show  that  his  assertion  of  Bach's  supremacy  was  no 
paradox.  It  may  confidently  be  said  that  the 
number  of  English  musicians  who,  sixty  years  ago, 
were  acquainted  with  any  music  by  the  great 
Leipsic  cantor,  beyond  the  "  Forty-eight  Preludes 
and  Fugues,"  might  be  counted  on  the  fingers  ;  and 
Walmisley  fearlessly  preached  to  Cambridge  men 
the  same  musical  doctrines  that  Schumann  and 
Mendelssohn  enforced  in  Germany. 

Two  beautiful  solo  anthems,  "  Father  of  Heaven  " 
and  "  Hear,  O  Thou  Shepherd  of  Israel,"  were 
Walmisley's  principal  productions  of  1836.  In  1838 
he  carried  off  the  prize  offered  by  the  Committee 
of  the  Dublin  Ancient  Concerts  for  an  anthem. 
This  was  the  masterly  composition,  "  Remember, 
O  Lord,"  and  it  was  subsequently  published  by 
Novello.  To  commemorate  the  Coronation  of 
Queen  Victoria  he  wrote,  in  the  same  year,  a  bright, 
melodious  anthem,  "  Behold,  O  God,  our  De- 
fender." 

Walmisley's  chief  Church  works  of  1839  were  a 
choral  hymn,  "  From  all  that  dwell  below  the 
skies  "  (printed,  with  a  double  chant,  in  Hackett's 
National  Psalmist,  three  years  later),  and  the  fine 
Morning,  Ante-Communion,  and  Evening  (Cantate) 
Service  in  F.  Dr.  Harvey  Goodwin,  a  former 
Bishop  of  Carlisle,  remarks  in  his  "  Recollections  of 
a  Dean,"  an  essay  contributed  to  the  Essays  on 
Cathedrals,  edited  in  1872  by  Dean  Howson  of 
Chester  : — 

"  While  I  reverence  the  works  of  Tallis,  Dean 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    469 

Aldrich,  Purcell,  Gibbons,  Croft,  Boyce,  and  should 
grieve  exceedingly  that  their  works  should  ever  be 
neglected,  I  think  it  also  right  to  remember  that 
there  are  no  indications  whatever  of  the  gift  of 
musical  utterance  being  sparingly  bestowed  in  our 
own  days.  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that,  in  my  own 
opinion,  the  '  Services '  of  the  late  Dr.  Wal- 
misley  are  equal  in  grandeur  of  conception  and 
in  variety  of  musical  phrase  to  anything  which 
has  come  to  us  from  the  older  Masters.  I  would 
specify  his  '  Credo  in  F  '  as  one  of  the  grandest 
musical  renderings  of  the  Nicene  symbol  ever 
produced." 

Dr.  Harvey  Goodwin  was  a  well-known  member 
of  the  University  of  Cambridge,  who  had  been 
Second  Wrangler  in  1840;  a  successful  preacher 
and  energetic  parish  priest.  An  excellent  musician, 
it  may  be  mentioned  that  during  the  eleven  years 
(1858-69)  he  was  Dean  of  Ely  he  was  wont  to  sing 
the  latter  part  of  the  Litany,  commencing  with  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  at  each  recurrence.  He  was  also  in 
the  habit  of  attending  the  choir  rehearsals  and  of 
singing  the  tenor  part,  which  he  did  with  intelli- 
gence and  effect. 

After  1839  our  unique  school  of  English  Church 
music  continued  to  receive  from  the  pen  of  Pro- 
fessor Walmisley  a  noble  series  of  offerings  in  the 
purest  style  of  devotional  composition — the  in- 
heritance of  a  long  line  of  illustrious  predecessors 
— with  such  additions  as  came  from  the  right  use 
of  modern  knowledge.  In  1843  he  wrote  his  Morn- 
ing, Ante-Communion,  and  Evening  Service  in  D 
major.    Concerning  the  production  of  the  Evening 


470     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

Canticles,  the  Rev.  W.  E.  Dickson,  late  Precentor 
of  Ely,  observes  : — 

"  I  recall  an  evening  service  in  Trinity  Chapel 
in  1843  or  1844,  at  which  the  Magnificat  and  Nunc 
Dimittis  in  the  key  of  D  major  were  sung  for  the 
first  time.  The  popular  Professor  walked  up  and 
down  the  ante-chapel  for  some  minutes  before  the 
service  began,  conversing  with  the  Master,  Dr. 
Whewell.  The  faces  and  figures  of  both  are  in- 
delibly impressed  upon  my  memory." 

In  1844  was  written  that  little  gem  of  an  anthem 
in  the  major  key  of  E,  "  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord," 
in  which,  it  may  be  observed,  the  composer  was 
capable  of  giving  shape  to  his  idea  of  religious  music, 
which  shows  the  sweet  singer,  prayerful,  yet 
joyous."  It  was  originally  intended  as  a  Grace, 
to  be  sung  without  accompaniment  in  the  Hall 
of  Trinity  College,  and  was  first  printed  in 
Henry  Haycraft's  collection,  Sacred  Harmony, 
in  1851. 

In  1845  Walmisley  composed  his  fine  Evening 
Service  in  B&,  for  a  double  choir,  a  style  of  writing 
for  which,  like  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley,  he  had  a  great 
predilection.  For  the  reopening  of  Jesus  College 
Chapel,  on  All  Saints'  Day,  1849,  he  composed  an 
anthem,  "  Ponder  my  words."  This  is  exclusivelyior 
treble  voices.  In  1 854  he  wrote,  for  the  Choir  Benevo- 
lent Fund  Festival  in  King's  College  Chapel,  a  five- 
part  anthem,  "  Blessed  is  he  that  considereth  the  poor 
and  needy";  and  in  1855  the  familiar  Evening 
Service  in  D  minor,  in  which  he  was  one  of  the 
first  to  show  us  how  effectively  broad,  unisonous 
passages  may  be  handled  with  a  free  organ  accom- 
paniment.    In  this  service  the  Nunc  Dimittis  con- 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    471 

eludes  with  the  dominant  major  chord  ;  while  the 
Magnificat  terminates  with  the  chord  of  D  major. 
At  King's  College,  Cambridge,  however,  it  is  the 
custom  to  reverse  the  final  Amens  of  the  two 
Canticles  in  order  to  obtain  a  close  in  the  tonic  key 
in  the  Nunc  Dimittis.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
know  if  this  practice  is  followed  in  other  "  quires 
and  places  where  they  sing."  The  autograph  of 
"  Walmisley  in  D  minor  "  is  in  the  possession  of 
Dr.  A.  H.  Mann,  organist  of  King's  College  and  to 
the  University. 

The  composition  of  Walmisley's  elaborate  and 
effective  anthem,  "  If  the  Lord  Himself  had  not 
been  on  our  side,"  was  probably  suggested  by  his 
pupil,  William  Glover,  who,  in  his  Memoirs  of  a 
Cambridge  Chorister,  observes  : — 

"  I  once  addressed  our  Professor  in  the  following 
terms  :  s  Surely  in  our  good  Cathedral  music  we 
must,  in  future,  add  something  of  a  modest  orches- 
tral effect  to  the  organ  part.  Whether  we  are  more 
restless  than  our  fathers  or  not,  certain  it  is  that 
we  are  apt  to  become  impatient  when  we  hear  long, 
drooping  notes,  like  those  in  Kent's  Blessed  be  Thou. 
How  different  is  the  effect  from  that  produced  in 
the  chorus,  "  Help,  Lord,"  in  Elijah,  where  a  few 
bright  notes  on  the  violins  sustain  the  voices  for  a 
length  of  time.  Handel's  music  would,  in  many 
cases,  be  absolutely  tedious  without  his  simple  yet 
important  violins.  Take  these  away  from  the  organ 
part,  and  the  chorus,  "  O  first  created  beam," 
becomes  a  rather  slow,  old-fashioned  piece  of  music. 
Try  it  thus,  and  you  will  perceive  the  effect.5  The 
Professor  seemed,  for  a  time,  inclined  to  defend  an 
imitation  of  the  ancient,  unassisted  Church  music. 


472     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

But,  like  Dr.  Crotch,*  he  was  ultimately  moved, 
and  in  a  few  months  he  produced  an  anthem  based 
on  these  conditions.  It  contains  a  short  but  effective 
bass  solo,  '  Yea,  the  waters  had  drowned  us.'  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  this  work  at  West- 
minster Abbey  a  few  years  ago.  The  effect  was 
decidedly  good,  and  it  formed  a  remarkable  con- 
trast to  our  more  denuded  specimens  of  Church 
music." 

Another  anthem,  "  The  Lord  shall  comfort 
Zion,"  bearing  date  September,  1840,  is  still  more 
elaborate  and  developed,  and  would  lend  itself  well 
to  orchestration. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Dublin  Prize  Anthem, 
the  double  choir  Service  in  B^,  and  the  anthem, 
"  Not  unto  us,"  none  of  the  larger  compositions 
above  described  were  published  in  Walmisley's  life- 
time. His  father,  who  survived  him,  edited  them 
in  1857,  when  they  were  published  by  Ewer,  of 
Newgate  Street.  The  Service  in  B-?,  printed  by 
J.  Alfred  Novello,  then  in  business  at  69  Dean 
Street,  Soho,  was  prefaced  by  this  cautiously  worded 
advertisement  : — 

"  This  Service  is  submitted  to  the  notice  of  all 
such  as  take  an  interest  in  the  works  of  the  great 
English  Masters,  and  particularly  therefore  to  the 
organists  of  our  Cathedrals,  who  have  it  in  their 
power  to  uphold  and  foster  the  taste  for  this  style 
by  judicious  additions  to  those  compositions  already 
in  use.  It  is  also  intended  as  a  specimen  of  a  volume 
which  will   be   published   by  subscription,   if  this 

[*  Compare  the  style  of  Dr.  Crotch's  festival  anthem,  "  The 
Lord  is  King,"  composed  in  1843,  with  that  of  the  anthems 
published  in  his  collection  of  1798. — J.  S.  B.] 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    473 

attempt  should  meet  with  a  favourable  reception  : 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  October  20th,  1845." 

Whether  this  service  were  well  or  ill  received  it 
is  impossible  to  determine  ;  at  all  events,  no  other 
works  of  importance  were  published  by  Walmisley 
during  his  lifetime  or  on  his  own  responsibility, 
except  two  compilations  of  a  useful  order.  Of  these, 
the  first  was  a  collection  of  the  words  of  anthems 
used  in  the  Chapels  of  King's,  Trinity,  and  S.  John's, 
arranged  in  chronological  order,  and  published  in 
1844  ;  while  the  second  was  a  collection  of  chants, 
with  the  Responses  and  Litany  as  used  at  the  same 
places.  The  chants  in  this  collection  are  177  in 
number,  sixteen  double  chants  and  one  quadruple 
chant  being  by  the  Professor  himself,  and  extremely 
good  of  their  kind.  Appended  were  some  half  a 
dozen  or  more,  facetiously  termed  "  Gregorian," 
of  which  it  can  only  be  said  that  the  Latin  Church 
knows  nothing,  nor  did  our  English  Church  before  she 
chose  to  change  her  chants  at  the  era  of  the  Restora- 
tion. Professor  Walmisley  was  a  sound  musician, 
but  his  knowledge  of  Church  song  must  have  been 
very  limited  if  he  imagined  that  either  S.  Gregory 
or  the  authorities  of  the  English  Church  ever 
countenanced  such  strange  anomalies.  On  the 
whole,  this  Cambridge  collection  was  not  equal  to 
the  Oxford  one  of  Bennett  and  Marshall. 

For  the  installation  of  Prince  Albert  as  Chancellor 
of  the  University  of  Cambridge  in  July,  1847, 
Walmisley  set  to  music  Wordsworth's  ode,  "  For 
thirst  of  Power  that  Heaven  disowns,"*  when  he 
received  the  thanks  of  Queen  Victoria.  Five  years 
previously  he  had  written  a  similar  composition  for 

*  Published  in  vocal  score,  by  Chappell. 


474     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

the  installation  ceremony  of  the  Duke  of  North- 
umberland, with  words  by  the  Rev.  T.  Whytehead. 

In  1 85 1  he  edited  the  unpublished  Cathedral 
music  of  his  godfather,  Thomas  Attwood,  already 
described  in  connection  with  that  composer. 

To  these  works  should  be  added  two  short  an- 
thems, "  Hail,  gladdening  light,"  and  "  Praise  the 
Lord  "  (a  canon,  4  in  2),  both  inserted  in  John 
Hullah's  Vocal  Scores,  1846;  two  hymn  tunes, 
"  Cambridge  "  and  "  Granta,"  written  expressly  for 
the  Rev.  Peter  Maurice's  Choral  Harmony,  1854; 
a  setting  of  the  Sanctus  in  the  key  of  D,  contributed 
to  the  Rev.  Joshua  Fawcett's  Lyra  Ecclesiastica, 
1844  ;  and  a  Prelude  and  Fugue  in  E  minor,  written 
for  Vincent  Novello's  Select  Organ  Pieces,  1839. 
Three  single  chants  were  printed  in  Monk  and 
Ouseley's  collection,  Anglican  Psalter  Chants.  Four 
anthems  remain  unpublished — "  O  give  thanks  " 
(different  from  the  Commemoration  Anthem  of 
1834),  "  0ut  of  tne  deep,"  "  The  Lord  shall  endure 
for  ever,"  and  "  Who  can  express  ?  " 

Before  leaving  Walmisley's  sacred  compositions 
mention  must  not  be  omitted  of  his  adaptations 
to  English  words,  for  use  in  the  Cathedral  service, 
of  Mendelssohn's  Three  Motetts  for  Soprano 
Voices  (op.  39),  originally  composed  for  the  use  of 
the  nuns  at  the  convent  on  Trinita  de  Monti,  Rome. 
These  were  :  "  Hear  my  prayer "  (from  Vent 
Domine),  "  O  praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  His  hosts  " 
(from  Laudate  Pueri),  and  "  O  Lord,  Thou  hast 
searched  me  out"  (from  Surrexit  Pastor).  These 
adaptations  were  originally  published  by  Ewer,  but 
later  on  they  were  acquired  by  Novello,  when  a 
new  English  version  was  written  for  each  by  John 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    475 

Oxenford,  which  follows  the  Latin  one  more 
closely.  He  also  adapted  the  Kyrie  of  Hummel's 
1st  Mass  in  B^  to  English  words,  as  an  anthem, 
beginning  "  Hear  me  when  I  call,"  and  edited  two 
other  adaptations  from  the  same  composer  made 
by  his  predecessor,  Samuel  Matthews — "  God,  that 
madest  earth  and  heaven,"  from  the  Agnus  Dei  and 
Dona  Nobis  of  the  Mass  in  Bt>,  and  "  Hear  my  cry- 
ing," from  the  Kyrie  of  the  3rd  Mass  in  D.  The 
set  of  three  anthems  was  published  by  Ewer  in  1849. 
Walmisley  does  not  appear  to  have  been  afraid 
of  hard  work  at  Cambridge,  for  during  the  de- 
clining years  of  Mr.  John  Pratt  he  officiated  for 
that  venerable  organist  at  King's  College  and  the 
University  Church.  This,  of  course,  made  Wal- 
misley's  Sunday  duties  very  heavy  in  full  Term. 
The  following  was  his  time-table — a  day's  work 
truly  : — 

A.M. 


S.  John's  College    . 

Trinity 

King's 

S.  Mary's  Church  . 

.     7.15 
.     8.0 
.     9.30 
.  10.30 

"D     TV/T 

University  Sermon  at  S.  Mary's 
King's     ..... 
S.  John's         .... 
Trinity 

.r  ,M. 

.      2.0 

•  315 

.    5.0 

.  6.15 

Walmisley's  published  secular  compositions  are 
provokingly  few.  This  is  much  to  be  regretted,  for 
those  that  have  been  printed  are  full  of  imagination 
and  fancy,  and  remarkable  for  the  grace  and  origin- 
ality of  the  themes.    His  three  odes  have  already 


476     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

been  mentioned.  Then  there  were  those  three 
ever  fresh  and  charming  trios  for  sopranos — 
"  Cambria,"  "  The  Mermaids  "  (words  by  the  Rev. 
John  Purchas*),  and  "The  approach  of  May"; 
two  fine  madrigals,  "  Sweet  flowers  !  ye  were  too 
faire  "  (dedicated  to  Sir  John  Rogers),  and  "  Slow, 
slow,  fresh  fount,"  both  for  five  voices  ;  a  song, 
"  Castelar  to  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,"  written  during 
the  Croydon  period  ;  and  a  set  of  four  songs,  "  Gay 
festive  garments,"  "  Farewell,  sweet  flowers,"  "  The 
sweet  spring  day,"  and  "  Sing  to  me  then  "  (words 
by  the  Rev.  John  Purchas),  published  in  1854. 
Another  song,  "  There  is  a  voice,"  published 
posthumously  in  1858,  completes  the  list. 

At  one  time  Walmisley  took  to  orchestral  writing, 
composing  a  symphony  for  the  Philharmonic  Con- 
certs, but  only  once  rehearsed  there.  This  he 
submitted  to  Mendelssohn,  who,  hearing  it  was  a 
first  attempt,  exclaimed,  "  Let  us  see  first  what 
number  twelve  will  be  like,"  in  allusion,  probably,  to 
his  own  action  in  having  suppressed  a  dozen  early 
symphonies  before  he  brought  out  the  thirteenth 
as  No.  1.  Not  understanding  the  allusion,  however, 
Walmisley  was  so  disheartened  that  he  gave  up 
orchestral  writing  altogether,  a  result  of  his  remark 
which  we  are  sure  Mendelssohn  was  far  from 
anticipating.  Some  duets  for  pianoforte  and  oboe 
were  written  by  Walmisley  for  a  Cambridge  under- 
graduate named  Pollock,  whose  oboe  playing  greatly 
took  his  fancy.  One  of  these  duets  has  been  pub- 
lished by  Rudall,  Carte,  and  Co. 

Those  who  knew  Professor  Walmisley  intimately 

*  Afterwards  the  well-known  incumbent  of  S.  James's  Chapel, 
Brighton. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    477 

ever  remember  him  affectionately,  and  his  reputa- 
tion is  still  loyally  upheld  by  Trinity  men.  Those 
who  have  heard  his  organ  performances  and  his 
exquisite  accompaniments  to  the  choral  service  still 
speak  of  them  with  delight.  Especially  fine  were 
his  extemporaneous  introductions  to  well-known 
anthems  in  Trinity  Chapel  on  Sunday  evenings. 
He  was  an  able  exponent  of  Bach's  fugues  and 
Beethoven's  sonatas,  and  at  musical  parties  was 
wont  to  delight  his  hearers  with  clever  imitations 
of  the  fantasies  of  Bull  and  Gibbons.  Few  could 
equal  him  in  his  pianoforte  improvisations,  which 
were  generally  in  the  style  of  Mozart,  or  in  that  of 
Beethoven's  middle  period. 

To  a  highly  strung  organization  such  as  Wal- 
misley  possessed,  "  the  desire  to  be  free  from  the 
burning  current  of  his  thoughts  which  led  he  knew 
not  whither "  suggested,  alas  !  an  unwise  indul- 
gence in  lethal  remedies.  His  pleasures  may  have 
been  thus  augmented,  but  his  life  was  shortened, 
and  he  died  comparatively  a  young  man,  having 
completed  his  forty-second  year  all  but  four  days. 
His  death  took  place  on  17  January,  1856,  at  Caroline 
Place,  Hastings,  whither  he  had  retired  a  short  time 
previously.  He  sleeps  in  the  beautiful  churchyard  of 
Fairlight,  near  another  Cambridge  professor — James 
Scholefield,  Canon  of  Ely.  A  stone  near  the  east 
window  of  the  church  marks  his  remains.  In  1888 
a  brass  tablet  was  placed  to  his  memory  in  the  ante- 
chapel  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge.  Engraved 
thereon  is  the  appropriate  phrase  from  the  quartett 
in  his  noble  anthem,  "  If  the  Lord  Himself  "  : — 

The  snare  is  broken,  and  we  are  delivered. 


478     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Walmisley  was  a  man  who  did  much,  and  perhaps 
would  have  done  a  great  deal  more,  for  the  exalta- 
tion of  his  profession  had  his  life  been  prolonged 
and  had  his  lot  been  cast  in  times  more  favourable 
to  the  cultivation  of  his  art.  But,  like  his  eminent 
contemporaries,  Sir  John  Goss  and  Dr.  S.  S.  Wesley, 
he  was  easily  discouraged,  and  never  believed  him- 
self to  be  treated  with  the  respect  due  to  his  genius. 
However,  he  continued  to  exercise  the  gifts  he 
possessed  and  to  hope  for  recognition  at  some  future 
time. 

Samuel  Wesley,  concerning  whose  career  some 
details  have  been  given  in  a  previous  chapter,  left 
a  numerous  family,  but  of  all  these  his  son,  Samuel 
Sebastian,  was  the  one  to  inherit  his  genius. 
Named  after  his  father  and  his  father's  idol,  the 
subject  of  the  present  sketch  was  born  in  London 
14  August,  1 810.  At  about  the  age  of  six  he  was 
privileged,  with  only  a  few  other  boys,  to  attend 
Christ's  Hospital  for  a  year,  without  a  nomination 
and  without  wearing  the  costume.*  A  great  ten- 
dency for  music  soon  developed  itself,  and  in  18 19 
his  father  was  successful  in  getting  him  admitted 
among  the  choristers  of  the  Chapel  Royal  under 
William  Hawes.  Negotiations  were  opened  two 
years  earlier,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  subjoined 
letter  from  Samuel  Wesley  to  Hawes,  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  present  writer  : — 

"London,  Nov.  2$th,  1817. 
"  My  dear  Sir, — Pray  accept  my  best  thanks  for 
your  extremely  kind  offer  relative  to  my  little  boy. 
He  is  a  very  apprehensive  child,  and  very  fond  of 
*  This  circumstance  appears  to  be  questioned. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   19™  CENTURY    479 

music  ;  how  far  he  may  have  talent  and  voice  suffi- 
cient to  do  credit  to  your  valuable  instructions, 
experiment  will  best  show.  His  temper  and  dis- 
position I  believe  to  be  good,  wanting  only  due 
discretion,  and  I  know  him  to  be  susceptible  of 
kindness,  which,  with  you,  I  am  confident  he  will 
meet.  My  good  friend  Glenn*  will,  doubtless, 
confer  with  you  fully  upon  points  of  necessary 
arrangement.  Meanwhile  I  trust  you  will  believe 
me  to  remain,  with  much  esteem  and  cordial  grati- 
tude, 

"  My  dear  Sir,  your  greatly  obliged, 

"  S.  Wesley. 
11  William  Hawes,  Esq., 

"  7  Adelphi  Terrace,  Strand." 

Hawes  was  in  the  habit  of  declaring  Wesley  to 
be  the  best  boy  he  ever  had,  and  he  was  one  of  the 
two  choristers  selected  by  Attwood  to  sing  at  the 
private  chapel  in  the  Pavilion  at  Brighton  whenever 
George  IV  was  in  residence  there.  On  these  occa- 
sions he  not  only  took  part  in  the  Sunday  services, 
but  also  in  the  Saturday  evening  concerts,  when 
Attwood  was  the  accompanist,  together  with  the 
King's  band,  conducted  by  Christian  Kramer.  The 
King  often  spoke  kindly  to  the  young  singer,  and 
on  one  occasion  asked  what  was  the  relationship  of 
the  chorister  Wesley  and  Charles  Wesley,  his  private 
organist.  On  being  informed,  His  Majesty  ordered 
a  gold  watch  to  be  presented  to  the  lad. 

*  Robert  Glenn,  Music-master  at  Christ's  Hospital.  He  suc- 
ceeded Robert  Hudson,  Mus.B.  (Almoner  and  Master  of  the 
Boys  at  S.  Paul's),  in  the  post,  1815.  He  married  one  of  Samuel 
Wesley's  daughters,  and  died  in  1844. 


480     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

After  holding  organ  appointments  at  S.  James's 
Chapel,  Hampstead  Road,  S.  Giles',  Camberwell, 
S.  John's,  Waterloo  Road,  and  Hampton  parish 
church,  Wesley  found  himself,  in  1832,  on  the 
resignation  of  Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld,  organist  of 
Hereford  Cathedral.  Called  to  associate  in  his 
daily  duties  with  the  Dean  and  Chapter,  he  was 
cordially  welcomed  at  the  Deanery,  then  presided 
over  by  the  learned  Dr.  Merewether,  to  whom  the 
Cathedral  owes  its  earliest  restorations,  and  whose 
sister,  Marianne,  Wesley  married  in  1835.  It  was 
during  his  stay  at  Hereford  that  Wesley  wrote  for 
an  Easter  Sunday  morning  service  his  famous 
anthem,  "  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father."  It 
was  performed  under  the  same  conditions  as  those 
of  the  three  Communion  services  already  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  Dr.  Clarke  Whitfeld. 

At  the  latter  part  of  1835  Wesley  removed  to 
Exeter  on  his  appointment  as  organist  of  the 
Cathedral  in  succession  to  James  Paddon.  It  is 
worthy  of  remembrance  that  Exeter  was  the  only 
cathedral  whose  Dean  and  Chapter  subscribed  for 
the  elder  Wesley's  fine  Service  in  F. 

While  resident  at  Hereford  in  1832  Wesley  had 
sent  in  his  noble  anthem,  "  The  Wilderness,"  as  a 
competitor  for  the  Gresham  Prize  Medal,  but  he 
was  unsuccessful,  as  detailed  in  a  previous  chapter. 
It  was  first  sung  at  the  reopening  of  the  Hereford 
Cathedral  organ  on  6  November,  1832.  "  Well  do 
I  remember,"  says  the  late  Dr.  Spark,  of  Leeds, 
"  the  first  rehearsal  by  the  Exeter  choir  of  *  The 
Wilderness.'  The  astonishment  and  delight  of  the 
Vicars  Choral  with  its  rich  and  wonderful  modula- 
tions— its  deep  religious  fervour,  its  difficulties  and 


SECOND  HALF  OF    i9th  CENTURY    481 

grand  effects.  As  one  of  the  choir  boys  taking  part 
in  the  lovely  quartett  at  the  end,  '  And  sorrow  and 
sighing  shall  flee  away,'  I  was  greatly  interested, 
and  remember,  to  this  day,  the  deep  emotion  which 
this  inspiration  awoke  in  me.  If  possible,  a  still 
greater  delight  was  afforded  to  the  choristers  when 
they  were  taught  to  sing  the  ever  fresh  responsive 
duet,  '  Love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart  fer- 
vently,' which  forms  a  part  of  the  fine  anthem, 
'  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father.'  " 

In  1839  Wesley  accumulated  at  Oxford,  by  special 
permission,  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  and  Doctor  in 
Music,  his  exercise  on  the  occasion  (performed  in 
Magdalen  College  Chapel)  being  an  elaborate  eight- 
part  anthem,  "  O  Lord,  Thou  art  my  God."  This 
work  contains  several  noble  movements,  especially 
the  bass  solo,  "  For  our  heart  shall  rejoice,"  quite 
worthy  to  rank  with  the  oratorio  songs  of  Handel 
and  Mendelssohn  ;  a  double  chorus,  "  He  will 
swallow  up  death  in  victory  "  ;  a  quintet,  "  For 
this  mortal  shall  put  on  immortality "  ;  and 
the  final  double  chorus,  "  And  in  that  day," 
which,  at  the  passage  to  the  words,  "  Lo  !  this 
is  the  Lord,  and  He  will  save  us,"  is  simply 
sublime. 

That  precise  and  learned  musician,  Dr.  Crotch, 
held  the  professorial  chair  at  the  time,  and  at  first 
objected  to  accept  the  work  unless  Wesley  could 
expunge  or  alter  some  passages  which  he  affirmed 
were  not  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  harmony 
and  modulation  as  practised  by  the  great  masters, 
or  fulfilled  the  rules  and  precepts  of  the  schoolmen. 
Wesley  was  obdurate,  and  refused  to  withdraw  any- 
thing, so  Professor  Crotch  had  to  give  way.    Wesley 


482     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

returned  to  Exeter  with  his  gown,  hood,  degrees 
and  increased  renown. 

In  1 841  Wesley  competed,  but  without  success, 
for  the  Professorship  of  Music  at  Edinburgh, 
rendered  vacant  by  the  death  of  John  Thomson, 
who  had  been  appointed  in  1839 — tne  ^rst  under 
General  Reid's  bequest.  Henry  R.  Bishop  was 
elected. 

In  1842  Wesley  left  Exeter  on  being  chosen 
organist  of  the  new  parish  church  of  Leeds.  The 
way  had  been  well  prepared  for  him  ;  for,  when 
the  church  was  nearly  finished,  a  number  of  pro- 
minent Leeds  churchmen  waited  on  the  Vicar, 
Dr.  Hook,  and  requested  that  he  would  permit  a 
daily  choral  service  to  be  performed  in  it  after  the 
Cathedral  manner.  The  Vicar  most  gladly  accorded 
permission,  and  promised  his  utmost  support  so 
long  as  funds  could  be  provided  to  sustain  the  choir 
in  such  a  state  of  efficiency  that  the  services  should 
be  performed  complete  in  all  their  perfection  and 
beauty,  by  the  aid  of  the  best  compositions  of  the 
English  Cathedral  school,  with  a  judicious  ad- 
mixture of  the  works  of  Handel,  Mozart,  Haydn, 
Mendelssohn,  Spohr,  etc.  "  I  will  have  a  good 
service,  even  if  I  have  to  go  to  prison  for  it,"  said 
the  Vicar,  who  was  afterwards  wont  jocosely  to 
allude  to  the  style  of  the  said  service  as  "  Decorated 
Parochial." 

To  this  end,  therefore,  James  Hill,  who  had  pre- 
viously been  a  member  of  the  Dublin  Cathedral 
choirs,  and  also  for  some  time  of  that  of  S.  George's 
Chapel,  Windsor,  was  appointed  to  train  the  Leeds 
parish  church  choir.  Soon  after  this  the  Rev.  John 
Jebb,  author  of  The  Choral  Service  of  the  Church, 


SECOND   HALF   OF   i9th  CENTURY    483 

visited  Leeds  and  delivered  three  lectures  on  Church 
music,  marked  by  strong  judgment,  to  the  members 
of  the  Church  Institution.  These  Lectures  were 
subsequently  (1845)  published  by  Rivington,  and 
by  their  large  circulation  greatly  tended  to  promote 
a  strong  feeling  in  favour  of  the  choral  service,  and 
to  remove  the  prejudices  which  many  Churchmen 
then  entertained  respecting  it.  "  Several  gentle- 
men "  (wrote  a  Leeds  correspondent  in  a  journal 
devoted  to  Church  music)  "  joined  the  choir  at  the 
consecration  of  the  Parish  Church  in  September, 
1 841,  and  have  continued  active  members  of  it  up 
to  the  present  time  (1850)  ;  and  nothing,  I  firmly 
believe,  has  tended  so  much  to  increase  its  stability, 
to  elevate  its  character,  to  cause  the  whole  of  the 
services  to  be  celebrated  with  such  marked  attention 
and  reverential  devotion,  as  the  fact  of  these  gentle- 
men deeming  it  a  privilege  to  be  permitted  to  be 
robed  in  the  vestments  of  the  Church,  and  to  assist 
in  the  performance  of  her  services  in  the  choir.  It 
has  removed  from  the  minds  of  the  paid  choristers 
the  idea  that  they  are  mere  hirelings,  engaged  for 
the  purpose  of  the  display  of  their  vocal  powers, 
has  impressed  them  with  the  sacred  character  of 
their  vocation,  and  led  them  to  prepare  to  partake 
of  the  Holy  Communion,  when  called  upon  to  take 
their  part  in  the  celebration  of  the  great  Festivals 
of  the  Church." 

Soon  after  his  settlement  at  Leeds,  Wesley  pub- 
lished a  pointed  Psalter  with  accompanying  chants 
for  the  use  of  the  choir.  Later  on,  in  February, 
1845,  he  published  that  noble  contribution  of  his 
to  service  music  in  the  shape  of  a  setting  of  the 
Morning,  Communion,  and  Evening  Service  in  E 


484     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

major.  We  owe  this  magnificent  composition  to 
the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Martin  Cawood,  of  Leeds, 
one  of  Wesley's  greatest  friends  and  admirers,  and 
from  whom  he  received  the  sum  of  fifty  guineas  for 
the  copyright.  It  was  originally  published  by 
Foster  and  King,  of  Hanover  Street,  London,  and 
was  sold  also  by  J.  Alfred  Xovello.  On  the  title  page 
of  such  copies  appears  the  autograph  signature  of 
Mr.  Cawood. 

In  1895-6  the  service  underwent  a  complete  re- 
vision at  the  hands  of  Wesley's  pupil,  Dr.  G.  M. 
Garrett,  organist  of  S.  John's  College,  Cambridge. 
To  the  original  edition  Wesley  contributed  a  long 
and  characteristic  Preface,  which  has  since  been 
reprinted  in  extenso  in  The  Musical  Times  of  October 
and  December,  1907.  In  this  Preface  Wesley  in- 
forms us  that  the  Creed  and  the  Kyrie  (Xo.  2)  were 
written  for  treble  voices  only,  to  meet  an  emergency 
which  occasionally  arose  at  one  of  the  cathedrals 
with  which  he  was  connected,  and  were  never  in- 
tended for  public  inspection. 

"  Their  performance,  however,"  he  continues, 
"  was  the  origin  of  the  present  composition,  as  a 
gentleman,  Mr.  Martin  Cawood,  of  Leeds,  on  hear- 
ing the  Creed  performed,  proposed  to  the  author 
the  completion  of  the  entire  service,  undertaking  to 
remunerate  him  for  his  work,  and  incur  the  sole 
risk  and  responsibility  of  its  publication  ;  the  follow- 
ing is  the  result  of  this  land  offer,  and  however 
unworthy  it  may  be,  the  good  intentions  of  Mr. 
Cawood  surely  deserve  notice,  in  times  when  an  act 
of  so  much  liberality  is  entirely  without  parallel ; 
and  when  it  is  remembered  that  cathedral  bodies 
rarely  encourage  (even  by  the  purchasing  of  a  few 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    485 

copies  for  the  use  of  their  choirs)  such  undertakings. 
Indeed,  such  persons  seldom  even  condescend  to 
notice  any  applications  made  to  them  of  the  kind, 
a  fact  which  may  astonish  those  who  remember  the 
nature  of  our  Choral  Service,  and  how  largely  the 
Musician's  Art  is,  twice  a  day,  called  into  requisition 
throughout  the  year  in  every  Cathedral  and  College 
Chapel  in  the  kingdom. 

"  The  Creed  thus  alluded  to  would  not  have  been 
published  by  the  author's  desire.  It  was  a  youthful 
effort,  is  without  merit,  and  was  intended  for 
private  use.  This  will,  it  is  hoped,  be  a  sufficient 
defence  against  criticism  in  respect  to  this  piece, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  Kyrie  Eleison  (No.  2),  both  of 
which  belong  to  one  date  and  contain  a  well-known 
modulation,  which  is,  it  is  believed,  strictly  the 
property  of  Sebastian  Bach  (it  occurs  in  a  Credo), 
but  is  also  met  with  in  a  chorus  of  that  noble  pro- 
duction of  the  pure  and  beautiful  Spohr,  '  Die 
Letzten  Dinge,'  where  it  is  made  the  feature  of  a 
sequence." 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  observe  that  the  Credo 
in  E,  to  which  Wesley  thus  alludes  with  such 
modesty,  is,  without  doubt,  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
whole  range  of  modern  Church  music.  It  is  the 
merum  sal  of  Eucharistic  music,  so  thoroughly  de- 
votional and  thoughtful  is  it  in  all  its  parts.  Truly 
admirable  is  the  passage — harmonized  chantwise — 
to  the  words  "  And  I  believe  one  Catholic  and 
Apostolic  Church,"  preparing  the  ear  for  the  calm, 
trustful  sentences  with  which  the  Credo  closes. 
But  the  whole  service  abounds  in  passages  of  nobility 
and  grandeur,  and  should  be  carefully  studied. 
Wesley's  style  is  his  own,  matchless  in  beauty,  awe- 


486     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

inspiring  in  its  solemn  majesty,  and  withal  a  noble 
illustration  of  the  reform  in  Church  music  which 
he  was  always  urging. 

"  Wesley  in  E  "  has  since  formed  a  model  for 
several  of  our  most  distinguished  Church  writers. 
In  the  admirable  services  (written  between  1863 
and  1885)  by  Dr.  Garrett,  in  D,  E,  Eb,  and  F,  its 
influence  is  distinctly  traceable.  The  three  fine 
services  by  Dr.  E.  J.  Hopkins  in  A  (1849),  F  (1850), 
and  C  (1878)  may  be  said  to  have  been  inspired 
by  those  of  Attwood  rather  than  by  that  of  Wesley. 
At  any  rate,  both  Attwood  and  Wesley  having  set 
the  example  of  writing  high-class  service  music, 
they  were  followed,  not  only  by  Hopkins  and 
Garrett,  but  also  by  Sir  Robert  Stewart,  Sir  Herbert 
Oakeley,  and  Sir  George  Macfarren  in  their  services 
— each  in  the  key  of  E^ — written  respectively  in 
1851,  1856,  and  1863.  We  find  still  further  de- 
velopments in  the  compositions  of  Henry  Smart, 
Sir  Joseph  Barnby,  Sir  John  Stainer,  Mr.  J.  M. 
Young,  and  Mr.  J.  Baptiste  Calkin  ;  and  in  those 
of  living  writers  of  such  sterling  merit  as  Sir  George 
Martin,  Sir  Frederick  Bridge,  Sir  C.  Villiers  Stan- 
ford, Dr.  F.  E.  Gladstone,  Mr.  John  E.  West,  Dr. 
Basil  Harwood,  and  Mr.  Charles  Macpherson. 

If  we  except  Thomas  Attwood,  Wesley  was  the 
first  writer  who  enriched  the  store  of  service  music 
with  compositions  which,  without  deserting  the 
stately  massiveness  of  the  best  of  earlier  styles,  con- 
tained some  of  the  freshest  and  newest  forms  of 
modulation  and  harmonic  progression — "  unclassi- 
fied chords  " — and  movements  that  were,  at  the 
time,  as  novel  as  they  were  beautiful. 

By  the  "  new  music,  but  no  new  style  "  branch 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY    487 

of  musicians,  of  the  Crotch  and  Havergal  type, 
Wesley's  innovations  were  viewed  with  apprehen- 
sion, as  being  calculated  to  put  an  end  to  the  "  true 
sublime  "  in  the  composition  of  Church  music  ; 
while  by  most  of  the  junior  members  of  the  pro- 
fession they  were  regarded  as  so  many  bright 
stars  in  the  musical  horizon  ;  and  that  the  new 
direction  which  the  feeling  in  the  composition 
of  Church  music  took  from  that  time  downwards 
was  mainly  due  to  Wesley's  influence  is  a  sub- 
ject on  which  there  can  scarcely  be  a  second 
opinion. 

It  was  not  until  1869  that  Wesley  produced  any- 
thing else  of  importance  in  the  shape  of  service 
music.  He  then  published  A  Short,  Full  Cathedral 
Service  in  F,  consisting,  like  that  in  E,  of  the  Te 
Deum,  Jubilate,  Sanctus,  Kyrie,  Credo,  Magnificat, 
and  Nunc  Dimittis.  This  service,  written  in  the 
simple  harmonic  style  of  King  and  Travers,  was  as 
easy  as  its  predecessor  was  difficult.  In  a  review 
of  this  composition  shortly  after  its  publication,  it 
was  gravely  stated  that  it  contained  "  no  one 
feature  by  which  its  composer  could  be  recog- 
nized." On  the  contrary,  it  abounds  in  character- 
istic touches,  and  the  identity  of  its  composer  is  at 
once  revealed. 

Neither  service  contains  a  setting  of  the  Gloria 
in  Excelsis  to  complete  the  Communion  Office. 
Latterly,  Wesley  supplied  this  deficiency  by  writing 
one  in  the  key  of  C,  which  may  be  used  with  either 
service.  It  is  a  comparatively  easy  setting,  and 
chiefly  remarkable  for  the  fine  vocal  effects  at  its 
close,  the  composer  beginning  to  pile  his  voices  one 
upon  the  other  until  the  climax  is  reached,  and 


488     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

then  the  whole  gradually  dies  away  upon  the  word 
"  Amen." 

Wesley  wrote  two  chant  Services  in  F  and  G, 
which  are  popular  with  parochial  choirs,  besides 
being  useful  in  cathedrals  when  brevity  is  im- 
perative. 

Wesley  remained  at  Leeds  until  1849,  wnen  ne 
returned  south,  and  settled  at  Winchester  as  suc- 
cessor to  Dr.  G.  W.  Chard,  the  venerable  organist 
of  that  Cathedral.  One  of  his  inducements  for 
taking  the  post  was  to  give  his  five  sons  the  advantage 
of  the  education  of  the  great  school  of  Wykeham. 

In  February,  1865,  the  organistship  of  Gloucester 
Cathedral  became  vacant  by  the  death  of  John 
Amott,  and  Wesley  was  invited  by  the  Dean  and 
Chapter  to  preside  at  a  trial  of  candidates  for 
the  post.  On  his  arrival  Wesley  surprised  the 
Cathedral  dignitaries  by  saying  he  would  like  to 
accept  the  post  himself.  They  immediately  jumped 
at  him,  and  he  went  to  them.  At  Gloucester 
Wesley  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days,  dying  at 
his  house  in  Palace  Yard  on  19  April,  1876.  He  was 
buried  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Exeter.  There  is  a 
stained-glass  window  to  his  memory  in  Gloucester 
Cathedral,  and  a  mural  tablet  of  white  marble  at 
Exeter.  Quite  recently  another  memorial  (a  tablet 
in  copper)  has  been  appropriately  placed  in  Leeds 
Parish  Church. 

Samuel]  Sebastian  "Wesley  [says  one  of  his  biographers] 
was  reared  in  an  atmosphere  of  music.  Surrounded  by 
those  who  could  appreciate  and  encourage  him,  he  went  on 
"from  strength  to  strength"  until  he  became  the  most 
powerful  exponent  of  Church  music  and  organ-playing  in 
this  country.     Would  that  the  whole  happiness  and  work 


SECOND   HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY    489 

of  his  youth  had  permeated  his  whole  life.  But  alas  !  he 
never  ceased  to  regret  and  to  suffer  from  the  wet  blanket 
of  discouragement  which  was,  or  as  he  thought  was, 
continually  thrown  over  him  by  ecclesiastical  dignitaries, 
and  by  circumstances  which  surrounded  him  from  early 
manhood  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

Even  so  soon  before  that  event  as  November, 
1874,  he  thus  wrote  to  a  friend  :  "  And  now  for 
the  flood  gate  difficulties.  I  have  moved  from 
cathedral  to  cathedral  because  I  found  musical 
troubles  at  each.  Until  Parliament  interferes  to 
put  cathedrals  on  a  totally  different  footing  as 
to  music,  I  affirm  that  any.  man  of  eminence  will 
find  obstacles  to  doing  himself  and  his  music 
justice,  which  will  render  his  life  a  prolonged 
martyrdom." 

We  have  previously  seen  that  the  noble  Service 
in  E  was  not  written  for  any  cathedral,  but  while 
its  composer  was  organist  of  a  parish  church,  and 
for  a  choir  which  was  fully  alive  to  the  fact  of  a 
great  musical  genius  being  at  its  head. 

Amidst  his  many  duties  Wesley  found  time  to 
write  two  pamphlets,  by  way  of  enforcing  his  views 
on  the  subject  of  the  attitude  of  Deans  and  Chapters 
towards  their  choirs.  The  first  of  these,  A  Few 
Words  on  Cathedral  Music  and  the  Musical  System 
of  the  Church,  with  a  Plan  of  Reform,  was  written, 
perhaps,  in  a  more  suggestive  than  practical  spirit. 
The  second,  published  in  1854,  was  A  Reply  to  the 
Inquiries  of  the  Cathedral  Commissioners  relative  to 
the  Improvement  in  the  Music  of  Divine  Worship  in 
Cathedrals.  The  great  wish  of  Wesley's  life  was  to 
see  those  engaged  in  the  celebration  of  the  daily 
offices  in  our  cathedrals  recognized  according  to 


490     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

their  just   claims,   but   the   brighter   days   he  had 
longed  to  see  never  came  with  his  life. 

After  his  Service  in  E,  Wesley's  most  important 
publication  was  a  volume  of  twelve  anthems.*  This 
appeared  in  1853,  with  a  dedication  to  Dr.  Gamier, 
Dean  of  Winchester,  and  contained  the  following  : — 


Ascribe  unto  the  Lord. 
Blessed  be   the   God  and 

Father. 
Cast  me  not  away. 
Let  us  lift  up  our  heart. 
Man    that   is   born   of   a 

woman. 
O  give  thanks. 


O  Lord  my  God  (Solo- 
mon's Prayer). 

O  Lord,  Thou  art  my  God. 

The  face  of  the  Lord. 

The  Wilderness. 

Thou  wilt  keep  him  in 
perfect  peace. 

Wash  me  throughly. 


He  who  knows  these  twelve  anthems  has  Wesley 
in  his  finest  vein.  Space  will  not  admit  of  an  en- 
largement on  their  individual  beauties.  So  sublime 
was  Wesley's  style  that  it  drew  forth  the  encomiums 
of  Spohr,  who  greatly  admired  our  grand  yet  sober 
Cathedral  music,  as  may  be  seen  in  his  Autobiography, 
Writing  from  Cassel  in  January,  1844,  after  care- 
fully examining  all  Wesley's  published  works,  he 
said  :  "  They  show,  without  exception,  that  he  is 
master  of  the  style  and  the  form  of  the  different 
species  of  composition,  keeping  himself  closely  to 
the  boundaries  which  the  several  kinds  demand,  not 
only  in  sacred  things,  but  also  in  glees,  and  music 
for  the  piano.  They  point  out  also  that  the  artist 
has  devoted  earnest  studies  to  harmony  and  counter- 

*  Wesley  appears  to  have  had  little  faith  in  Cathedral  clergy  and 
less  in  music-publishers,  for  he  caused  this  volume  of  anthems  to  be 
issued  by  a  literary  firm,  Hall  and  Virtue,  of  Paternoster  Row. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    491 

point,  and  that  he  is  well  acquainted  with  rhythmical 
forms.  His  sacred  music  is  chiefly  distinguished  by 
a  noble,  often  antique,  style,  and  by  richly  chosen 
harmonies,  as  well  as  by  surprisingly  beautiful 
modulations."  While  the  opinion  of  Professor 
Walmisley,  writing  from  Trinity  College,  Cam- 
bridge, in  November,  1841,  was  :  "  The  universal 
consent  of  all  musicians  in  England  is  that  Dr. 
Wesley  is  the  first  among  us,  both  for  extraordinary 
talent,  and  for  unwearied  diligence  in  improving 
that  talent  to  the  utmost.  He  is  not  only  the  first 
organ-player  we  have,  but  also  a  most  accomplished 
musician."  The  sheer  musical  invention  in  Wesley's 
degree  exercise,  "  O  Lord,  Thou  art  my  God,"  in 
the  Te  Deum  of  the  Service  in  E,  and  in  the  anthem, 
"  Wash  me  throughly,"  is  that  of  a  virile  genius, 
who  knows  his  J.  S.  Bach  not  only  contrapuntally, 
but  emotionally,  and  loves  him. 

The  writer  of  the  notice  of  Wesley  in  the  Oxford 
History  of  Music  is  of  opinion  that  "  there  is 
nothing  in  the  range  of  modern  religious  music 
more  sincerely  felt  and  expressed  than  the  anthem 
6  Wash  me  throughly ' — neither  in  Spohr,  with 
whose  practice  certain  chromatic  passages  seem  to 
coincide,  nor  in  Mendelssohn,  with  whose  oratorio 
style  there  is  a  certain  resemblance  in  phaseology." 
The  same  critic  is  further  of  opinion  that 
S.  S.  Wesley's  way  of  expressing  religious  emotion 
appears  more  individual  than  either  Spohr's  or 
Mendelssohn's,  and  it  is  for  that  very  reason  better 
worth  hearing.  Always  in  close  connection  with  the 
traditions  of  English  vocal  music,  the  choral  tech- 
nique in  the  work  of  Wesley  is  of  a  high  order. 

Perhaps  one  of  Wesley's  most  touchingly  expres- 


492     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

sive  pieces  in  the  volume  published  during  the 
Winchester  period  was  his  setting  of  the  sentence 
in  the  Burial  Service,  beginning  "  Man  that  is  born 
of  a  woman."  There  are  some  living  who  say  that 
they  have  never  forgotten  its  effect  when  it  was 
sung  over  the  grave  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Speckott 
Barter,  the  distinguished  Warden  of  Winchester 
College,  on  15  February,  1861. 

The  hymn  tunes  of  Samuel  Sebastian  Wesley  are, 
like  those  of  his  father,  models  of  solidity  and  close- 
knit  strength.  Numerous  specimens  of  his  work- 
manship may  be  found  in  Hymns  Ancient  and 
Modern,  The  Hymnary,  Hackett's  National  Psalmist, 
and  many  other  tune-books.  An  important  under- 
taking by  Wesley  in  the  department  of  hymnody 
was  the  volume  which  he  produced  in  1872,  known 
as  The  European  Psalmist,  but  over  which  he 
lingered  so  long  that  a  large  proportion  of  the 
original  subscribers  to  the  book  died  before  its 
completion.  It  contained  733  hymn  tunes,  selected 
from  British  and  foreign  sources,  for  every  metre 
in  common  use  in  English  churches.  To  these  were 
added  chants  by  various  composers,  together  with 
a  Morning  and  Evening  Chant  Service  and  several 
short  anthems  by  Wesley  himself.  Altogether  his 
original  contributions  to  the  book  numbered  130. 
Notwithstanding  its  wealth  of  original  tunes  and 
the  masterly  harmonies  to  old-established  favourites, 
the  book  failed  somehow  to  realize  the  great  things 
expected  of  it ;  but  it  is  valuable  as  a  work  of 
reference,  and  should  have  a  place  on  our  shelves 
side  by  side  with  those  of  other  labourers  in  the 
same  field. 

As  a  composer  of  organ  music  and  as  a  performer 


SECOND   HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    493 

on  his  instrument,  Wesley,  as  we  have  seen,  ranked 
very  highly.  His  published  pieces  are  but  few  ; 
fourteen  have  been  printed  uniformly  under  the 
editorship  of  the  late  Dr.  Garrett,  including  a  selec- 
tion of  psalm  tunes  arranged  as  Studies.  Among  his 
most  popular  pieces  for  the  organ  are  his  Variations 
on  the  National  Anthem  (composed  for  the  re- 
opening of  the  organ  at  S.  Mary  RedclirTe,  Bristol), 
an  Andante  in  G,  Variations  on  an  air  for 
Holdsworthy  Church  Bells,  and  a  Choral  Song, 
with  its  succeeding  fugue  on  the  subject  of  the 
tenor  and  bass  duet,  "  Tell  it  out  among  the 
heathen,"  in  Travers'  anthem,  "  Ascribe  unto  the 
Lord." 

"  As  in  the  case  of  nearly  all  Wesley's  composi- 
tions, these  organ  pieces  aroused  the  ire,  not  un- 
mingled  with  jeers,  of  the  critics.  *  We  regret 
exceedingly  to  see  a  man  of  Dr.  Wesley's  great  and 
cultivated  genius  put  forth  such  works  as  those  now 
before  us,'  was  the  opening  sentence  of  a  review, 
evidently  from  the  pen  of  the  late  Mr.  J.  W.  Davi- 
son, in  the  Musical  Examiner  of  January  14,  1843. 
'They  are  "dull,"  "tedious,"  "monotonous," 
"  uninteresting,"  "  vague,"  "  ugly,"  "  insufferable," 
and  "  unbearable."  '  These  are  some  of  the  terms 
employed  in  regard  to  compositions  which  have 
long  been  accepted  as  classics  for  the  organ.  .  .  . 
It  is  no  wonder  that  Wesley  became  embittered 
against  '  writers  on  the  press.'  "  * 

Even  so  late  as  November,  1873,  we  find  Wesley 

replying  to  a  correspondent  thus,  with  reference  to 

his  European  Psalmist :    "I  lately  published  a  very 

large  and  complete  collection  of  Psalm  and  Hymn 

*  F.  G.  Edwards  in  Musical  Times,  June,  1900. 


2  K 


494     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Tunes,   one   on  which  the  greatest  care   I   could 
bestow  was  taken.     There  is  not  one  paper  I  can 


trust  to  review  it." 


Wesley  was  unquestionably  one  of  the  earliest 
and  most  successful  performers  of  John  Sebastian 
Bach's  grand  organ  pedal  fugues ;  he  was  the  first 
to  introduce  a  greatly  varied  style  and  expression, 
and  to  diffuse  orchestral  combinations  and  colour- 
ing into  organ-playing  ;  he  was  a  splendid  choir 
accompanist ;  and,  lastly,  he  was  certainly  one  of 
the  finest  and  most  dignified  extempore  players  of 
his  day  and  generation.  "  His  spontaneous  intro- 
ductions to  anthems  he  liked,"  wrote  one  of  his 
pupils,  "  cannot  easily  be  forgotten.  They  were 
always  in  harmony  with  the  leading  subjects  of  the 
composition,  ever  adding  new  beauties  to  the 
thoughts  and  works  of  the  original  writers.  For  his 
concluding  voluntaries  he  frequently  extemporized 
fugues  of  considerable  length  and  perfect  develop- 
ment." It  may  be  noted  that  Wesley's  organ 
pieces  were  written  in  keys  which  strangely  contra- 
dicted his  views  with  regard  to  temperament. 

Latterly  Wesley  lived  in  much  seclusion,  and 
often,  when  playing  the  organ,  he  seemed  to  take 
a  grim  delight  in  tantalizing  listeners  with  common- 
places. Even  when  he  composed  in  his  later  years, 
it  was  usually  some  trifle  that  cost  him  no  trouble. 
Wesley  was  unquestionably  a  genius  ;  and  if  his  too 
highly  sensitive  organization  had  not  interfered  with 
the  activity  of  his  thoughts  he  might  have  lived  to 
be  the  representative  English  Church  musician. 

The  published  anthemic  compositions  of  S.  S. 
Wesley,  not  alluded  to  in  this  sketch  in  chronological 
order,  may  be  thus  alphabetically  summed  up  : — 


SECOND  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY    495 

All  go  unto  one  -place.  Funeral  Anthem  for  the 
Prince  Consort.     1861.     (Novello.) 

Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel.  Anthem  for 
Christmas.     (Novello.) 

Give  the  King  'Thy  judgments.     (Novello.) 

God  he  merciful  unto  us.  Marriage  Anthem. 
(Novello.) 

/  am  Thine,  0  save  me.  (Published  in  The 
Musical  Remembrancer*  No.  1.     March,  1857.) 

/  will  arise.    (Published  in  The  European  Psalmist.) 

Let  us  now  praise  famous  men.  Anthem  for  Com- 
memoration or  Founders'  Day.  (Published  in 
Weekes'  Collegiate  Series.) 

Lord  of  all  power  and  might.     (Metzler.) 

O  remember  not  our  old  sins.  Duet  by  S.  Wesley 
(1821),  completed  by  a  chorus,  At  Thy  right  hand, 
by  S.  S.  Wesley  (1869),  an<^  published  in  The  Euro- 
pean Psalmist. 

O  God,  Whose  nature  and  property.  (Originally 
published  in  W.  Hawes'  Anthems  and  other  Sacred 
Music,  as  performed  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  etc., 
c.    1831.) 

*  The  pike  de  resistance  of  this  new  musical  magazine  —  "A 
Monthly  Guide  and  Companion  to  the  Church,  for  the  Clergyman 
and  the  Musician" — was  a  letter  from  Dr.  Wesley,  on  the  subject  of 
the  compass  and  temperament  of  organs  in  general  and  of  the  new 
organ  in  the  Liverpool  Town  Hall  in  particular.  Wesley  was 
very  strongly  opposed  to  the  equal  temperament  in  tuning,  and  in 
this  letter  treated  those  who  differed  from  his  views  on  the  subject 
in  a  somewhat  off-hand  manner.  The  anthem  (for  five  voices)  which 
he  contributed  to  the  number  certainly  affords  glimpses  of  rare 
ability,  but  is  sadly  marred  by,  what  really  appears  to  be,  intentional 
harshness.  The  Musical  Remembrancer  was  obviously  intended  for 
the  improvement  of  ordinary  parish  choirs,  but  very  few  of  these, 
it  is  to  be  apprehended,  could,  at  that  time,  have  made  anything  of 
this  anthem. 


496     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

O  how  amiable.     (Weekes'  Collegiate  Series.) 

Praise  the  Lord,  0  my  soul.  (Written  for  the 
opening  of  the  organ  in  Holy  Trinity  Church, 
Winchester,  10  September,  1861.) 

The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd.  (Weekes'  Collegiate 
Series.)  Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man.  (Weekes' 
Collegiate  Series.) 

To  my  request  and  earnest  cry.  (Edited  by 
Edward  C.  Bairstow,  organist  of  Leeds  Parish 
Church,   1906.) 

Much  more  might  be  written  here  about  Wesley, 
but  space  forbids.  The  anecdotes  related  concern- 
ing him  are  numerous  and  good.  He  was  an 
admirable  letter-writer,  and  much  of  his  corre- 
spondence has  been  preserved.  Moreover,  many 
new  biographical  details  have,  of  late  years,  been 
brought  to  light,  so  that  all  these  things,  judiciously 
blended,  would  form  a  very  desirable  book.  In  the 
meantime  the  reader  is  recommended  to  peruse  the 
excellent  illustrated  memoir  of  this  distinguished 
musician  contributed  by  the  graphic  pen  of  Mr. 
F.  G.  Edwards  to  the  Musical  Times  of  May,  June, 
and  July,  1900.  This  may  be  supplemented  by  an 
entertaining  paper,  "  Wesleyana,"  written  for  the 
same  journal  by  Dr.  J.  Kendrick  Pyne,  and  by 
the  interesting  Reminiscences  of  Dr.  W.  Spark. 
Both  writers  were  among  Wesley's  numerous 
pupils. 

The  name  of  Henry  Smart  is  one  endeared  to  all 
lovers  of  English  music.  His  compositions  for  the 
concert-room  and  chamber  certainly  outnumber 
those  for  the  Church,  for  which,  like  Attwood,  he 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    497 

did  not  begin  seriously  to  write  until  comparatively- 
late  in  life. 

Henry  Smart,  the  son  of  a  well-known  and  highly 
accomplished  violinist,  was  born  in  London,  at 
Foley  Place  (now  Langham  Street),  on  28  October, 
1 81 3.  His  uncle,  Sir  George  Smart,  was  for  many 
years  (1822-67)  organist  and  composer  to  the 
Chapel  Royal,  and  shone  with  greater  lustre  as  a 
conductor  and  teacher  of  singing  than  in  either  of 
the  first-named  offices. 

Henry  Smart  was  educated  in  no  Cathedral  choir, 
but  he  held  in  succession  several  important  organist- 
ships — those  of  Blackburn  Parish  Church  (183 1-8)  ; 
S.  Philip's  Chapel,  Regent  Street  (1838-9)  ; 
S.  Luke's,  Old  Street  (1844-65)  ;  and  S.  Pancras, 
Euston  Road  (1865-79). 

His  complete  Service  in  F,  which  stands  out  with 
majestic  prominence,  was  originally  published  in 
1868,  and  dedicated  to  his  friend  John  Goss, 
organist  of  S.  Paul's.  Like  that  of  Wesley,  in  E,  it 
has  formed  a  model  for  many  a  subsequent  com- 
poser. Certain  portions  of  the  Credo  might  have 
been  written  by  Beethoven.  The  effect  produced 
at  Leeds  by  the  performance  of  this  Credo,  shortly 
after  its  composition,  and  conducted  by  the  com- 
poser, was  long  remembered  by  those  who  heard  it. 
The  Leeds  Madrigal  and  Motett  Society  was  then 
at  the  zenith  of  its  fame,  numbering  250  magnificent 
Yorkshire  voices.  They  sang  with  an  aplomb  and 
spirit  which  so  delighted  Smart  that,  in  his  enthu- 
siasm at  its  conclusion,  he  kissed  his  hands  to  the 
chorus  and  said,  with  agitation  :  "[Magnificent  ! 
With  you,  as  Wellington  with  his  army,  I  could  go 
anywhere  ;    do  anything  !     God  bless  you  !     Good 


498     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

night !  "  This  was  quite  sufficient  for  the  warm- 
hearted Yorkshire  people  to  respond  at  once  with 
a  thrilling,  enthusiastic  cheer.  Smart  was  quite 
overcome,  and  said  :  "  Thanks  for  all  your  atten- 
tion and  for  the  opportunity  I  have  had  to  conduct 
this  splendid  chorus.  We  have  no  such  voices  in 
London,  I  assure  you." 

Several  years  later  "  Smart  in  F  "  was  reprinted  by 
Novello  in  their  octavo  edition  of  Church  Services, 
and  the  composer  took  the  opportunity  of  adding  a 
magnificently  wrought-out  setting  of  the  Benedictus 
to  the  morning  portion  of  the  service,  which  origin- 
ally had  the  Jubilate.  Another  complete  service, 
of  a  simple  character,  in  the  key  of  G,  was  published 
by  Metzler  in  1871.  Smart's  two  Evening  Services 
in  G  major  and  B^  are  very  grand  and  elaborate. 
The  former,  for  five  voices,  was  written  for  Henry 
Haycraft's  Sacred  Harmony  in  1851,  while  the  com- 
poser was  living  in  Regent's  Park  Terrace.  The 
latter,  for  four  voices,  was  composed  for  the  Festival 
of  the  Sons  of  the  Clergy  at  S.  Paul's  in  1870. 

Three  of  Smart's  anthems  are  of  large  dimen- 
sions— "  I  saw  an  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  Heaven," 
composed  for  and  performed  at  the  Tercentenary 
Commemoration  of  the  Reformation,  4  October, 
1835,  in  the  Parish  Church,  Blackburn  ;  "  Sing  to 
the  Lord,"  composed  for  the  fourth  Annual  Festival 
of  the  London  Church  Choir  Association,  held  at 
S.  Paul's,  26  October,  1876;  and  "Lord,  Thou 
hast  been  our  refuge,"  for  the  sixth  festival  of  the 
same  association  in  1878.  All  three  are  master- 
pieces. His  setting  of  the  Collect  for  the  Sunday 
after  Ascension  Day  as  an  anthem  for  four  voices 
affords  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  more  severe 


SECOND  HALF  OF   icjth   CENTURY    499 

style  which  he  occasionally  adopted  and  never  sur- 
passed. It  was  written  in  1863  for  Novello's  collec- 
tion, Thirty-one  Anthems  by  Modern  Composers. 
Another  anthem,  a  paraphase  of  the  23rd  Psalm, 
contains  a  treble  solo  of  singular  beauty. 

Smart  contributed  to  many  hymnals.  Some  of 
his  best  tunes  are  to  be  found  in  Hymns  Ancient 
and  Modern,  such  as  those  to  "  Brightly  gleams  our 
banner,"  "  Hark,  hark,  my  soul,"  "  Light's  abode, 
celestial  Salem,"  and  "  O  Paradise."  He  wrote 
others  of  great  excellence  for  The  Hymnary,  edited 
by  Joseph  Barnby  in  1872,  and  for  the  book  edited 
for  the  S.P.C.K.  by  Arthur  Sullivan  in  1876. 
While  at  S.  Luke's,  Old  Street,  he  himself  pub- 
lished an  important  collection  of  psalmody — a 
"  Choral  Book,"  containing  a  selection  of  tunes 
employed  in  the  English  Church,  newly  harmonized. 

Smart  wrote  for  the  orchestra  with  great  power 
and  originality,  as  may  be  seen  in  his  oratorio, 
Jacob,  composed  for  the  Festival  at  Glasgow  in  1873, 
and  in  his  charming  cantatas,  The  Bride  of  Dunkerron 
(1866)  and^King  Rene's  Daughter  (1871).  As  an 
organist  and  a  composer  for  his  instrument,  he  was, 
in  his  day,  facile  -princeps.  When  the  calamity  of 
blindness  overtook  him  late  in  life  he  was  obliged 
to  confine  himself  chiefly  to  extemporaneous  play- 
ing, in  which  he  coupled  the  highest  executive 
ability  with  the  soundest  learning.  His  published 
organ  music  includes  three  Marches,  three  sets  of 
Short  and  Easy  Pieces,  three  Andantes,  three  Post- 
hides,  four  Preludes,  etc.  A  useful  Analysis  of 
Smart's  works  for  the  organ  was  written  by  John 
Broadhouse,  and  published  in  1880. 

Among    Smart's    compositions    of    a    domestic 


Soo     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

nature  are  Six  Sacred  Vocal  Duets,  one  of  which, 
"  Faint  not,  fear  not,"  is  one  of  the  most  pathetic 
things  of  the  kind  ever  written. 

Like  his  blind  contemporary,  George  Alexander 
Macfarren,  Smart  was  a  prolific  song  writer.  A 
catalogue  of  his  compositions  in  this  department  of 
music  would  include  at  least  two  hundred,  every- 
one of  them  bearing  the  marks  of  thoughtful  in- 
telligence and  artistic  finish.  His  set  of  three  fine 
sacred  songs — "  The  Gates  of  Heaven,"  "  To  the 
Battle,"  and  "  Minstrel,  strike  " — was  dedicated  to 
his  uncle,  Sir  George  Smart.  He  also  produced 
fifty  vocal  duets  and  several  sets  of  part-songs.  His 
graceful  and  spirited  trios  for  soprano  voices,  such 
as  "  Nymphs  of  air  "  and  "  The  corall'd  caves  of 
ocean,"  should  not  be  forgotten. 

Smart's  knowledge  of  organ  mechanism  was  pro- 
found, and  several  important  instruments  were  built 
from  his  specifications.  When  designing  an  organ 
Smart's  soul  was  in  his  work.  He  knew  his  power, 
he  fulfilled  his  mission,  and  all  that  pertained  to 
his  share  of  the  work  was  thoroughly  and  con- 
scientiously done.  One  of  the  last  acts  of  his  useful 
and  laborious  life  was  an  exhaustive  examination, 
in  the  summer  of  1878,  of  Telford's  organ  in  Christ 
Church  Cathedral,  Dublin.  This  was  done  at  the 
request  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter,  including  Pre- 
centor Seymour,  with  a  view  to  the  reconstruction 
of  the  instrument  in  the  Cathedral,  whose  restora- 
tion was  then  on  the  eve  of  completion  under  Mr. 
G.  E.  Street.  The  Report  issued  by  Smart  to  the 
capitular  body  is  extant  and  well  worth  reading, 
for  it  proves  that  he  not  only  had  all  the  technicali- 
ties of  organ  construction  at  his  fingers'  ends,  but 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY    501 

was  also  capable  of  giving  expression  to  his  views  in 
terse  and  vigorous  English.  Afflicted  as  he  was 
with  the  terrible  calamity  of  blindness,  this  per- 
formance appears  all  the  more  remarkable. 

Henry  Smart  died,  after  a  long  and  painful  illness, 
at  30  King  Henry's  Road,  Primrose  Hill,  on  Sunday 
evening,  6  July,  1879.  He  was  buried  on  the  fol- 
lowing Friday  in  the  Hampstead  Cemetery,  Finch- 
ley  Road.  There  is  a  readable  biography  of  this  truly 
wonderful  man  by  the  late  Dr.  W.  Spark,  of  Leeds. 

One  of  the  most  eminent  writers  for  the  Church 
which  the  last  century  produced  was  undoubtedly 
John  Goss.  It  may  with  safety  be  asserted  that 
never  a  week  passes  without  one  of  his  anthems  in 
one  or  other  of  our  cathedrals  preaching  and  teach- 
ing the  truths  of  religion  with  as  much  point  and 
purpose  as  the  most  eloquent  sermon  by  the  most 
eminent  divine.  An  examination  of  his  composi- 
tions reveals  a  vein  of  deep  devotional  feeling,  a 
freshness  of  melody,  an  appropriateness  in  the  set- 
ting of  the  words,  a  breadth  and  vigour  of  concep- 
tion, and,  above  all,  a  purity  of  vocal  treatment 
which  is  all  the  more  remarkable  because  it  is 
nowadays  so  seldom  achieved. 

John  Goss  was  born  at  Fareham,  Hampshire,  on 
27  December  (S.  John  the  Evangelist's  Day),  1800. 
He  came  of  a  musical  stock,  his  father,  Joseph  Goss, 
being  organist  of  Fareham  Parish  Church,  with  a 
good  local  reputation ;  whilst  his  uncle,  John 
Jeremiah  Goss,  a  gifted  alto  singer,  was  a  member 
of  the  choirs  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  St.  Paul's,  and 
Westminster  Abbey. 

Through  the  influence  of  his  uncle,  Goss,  when 


502     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

just  over  eleven  years  old,  was  admitted  a  chorister 
of  the  Chapel  Royal.*  Many  years  after,  in  the 
course  of  a  letter  to  Miss  Hackett  (written  from 
25  Bessboro'  Gardens,  24  December,  1862),  Goss 
gave  these  reminiscences  of  his  early  days  : — 

Once  /  was  a  chorister  in  the  Chapel  Royal,  S.  James's. 
We  were  boarded  in  a  house  in  the  Sanctuary,  West- 
minster, with  the  Master,  John  Stafford  Smith,  whose  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Boyce.  He  was  underpaid,  I 
believe,  and  certainly  the  boys  in  my  time  were  under- 
taught.  We  had  a  "writing  master"  from  half  past  12 
to  2  on  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays,  if  my  memory  does 
not  deceive  me,  and  no  other  instruction  in  reading,  writing, 
and  arithmetic  and  a  little  English  Grammar  than  we  ten 
could  get  out  of  that  time.  As  to  playing  on  an  instru- 
ment and  learning  thorough-bass,  what  we  did  we  did  by 
and  for  ourselves.  Walking  across  the  schoolroom  one 
day  with  Handel's  Organ  Concertos  (Walsh's  Edition) 
under  my  arm,  Mr.  Stafford  Smith  met  me,  and  asked  me 

*  One  of  Goss's  fellow  choristers  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  his 
senior  by  one  year,  was  Joseph  John  Harris,  who  became,  in  1831, 
master  of  the  choristers,  and  joint  organist  with  William  Sudlow, 
of  Manchester  Collegiate  Church  (afterwards,  in  1846,  the 
Cathedral).  On  Sudlow's  death,  in  1848,  he  became  sole  organist, 
holding  the  post  until  his  death,  10  February,  1869.  Harris  was 
the  composer  of  some  excellent  Church  music.  His  three  Services 
in  A  (1867),  Bt?  (1849),  and  D  (1846-60)  are,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Kyries  of  those  in  Bb  and  D,  and  the  Credo  of  that  in  A, 
unpublished.  Three  of  his  short  anthems,  or  introits,  printed  by 
Hime  and  Addison,  of  Manchester,  in  1864,  are  compositions  of 
singular  beauty.  He  edited,  in  1 844,  the  Daily  Use  of  Manches- 
ter Collegiate  Church  —  the  Versicles,  Responses,  Litany,  etc. 
Five  of  his  chants  are  inserted  in  the  fourth  edition  of  the 
Manchester  Chant  llooh,  compiled  by  the  Rev.  J.  Troutbeck,  d.d., 
1882.  He  was  partial  to  Gregorian  music,  arranging  the  canticles 
Te  Deum,  Benedictus,  Magnificat,  and  Nunc  Dimittis  to  various  tones, 
several  of  which  are  also  ingeniously  interwoven  into  his  Cathedral 
service  in  D. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    503 

what  I  had  there.  I  replied,  "  If  you  please,  Sir,  it's  only 
Handel's  Organ  Concertos ;  I  thought  I  should  like  to 
learn  to  play  them."  "  Oh !  only  Handel's  Concertos," 
replied  my  master ;  "  and  pray,  Sir,  did  you  come  here  to 
learn  to  play  or  to  sing  ?  "  "  To  sing,  Sir,"  I  replied,  quite 
discomfited.  Mr.  Stafford  Smith  then  seized  the  book 
and  crowned  his  argument  by  hitting  me  on  the  head  with 
it.  I  had  bought  it  out  of  my  hardly  saved  pocket  money, 
and  I  never  saw  it  again. 

Notwithstanding  this  and  other  pieces  of  petty- 
spite  recorded  of  him,  Stafford  Smith  seems  to  have 
been  really  fond  of  young  Goss,  "  and,"  says  Mr. 
W.  A.  Barrett,  "  was  wont  to  take  him  about  during 
his  daily  walks,  and  to  tell  him  stories  of  his  own 
childhood,  and  of  the  great  men  he  had  seen  and 
spoken  with.  He  had  seen  and  remembered 
Handel,  and  pointed  out  the  house  where  the  great 
man  breathed  his  last.  He  told  how  that  in  his 
youth,  as  a  Chapel  boy,  he  had  borrowed  a  gun  to 
shoot  snipe  at  the  top  of  that  very  Brook  Street 
in  which  Handel  had  died  ;  and  how  he  had  known 
Dr.  Arne,  whom  he  called  a  conceited  Papist,  an 
evil-living  man,  but  a  God-gifted  genius  for  melody. 
He  had  known  Haydn,  and  held  all  these  three 
great  men  up  to  the  future  organist  of  S.  Paul's  as 
examples  for  imitation  when  he  began  to  write. 
He  regretted,  even  then,  the  growing  fashion  for 
discarding  the  pure  principles  of  melody  in  favour 
of  massive,  startling  harmonies,  and  the  fashions 
of  instrumental  colouring.  '  Remember,  my  child,' 
he  was  wont  to  say,  '  that  melody  is  the  one  power 
of  music  which  all  men  can  delight  in.  If  you  wish 
to  make  those  for  whom  you  write  love  you,  if  you 
wish  to  make  what  you  write  amiable,  turn  your 


5o4     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

heart  to  melody ;  your  thoughts  will  follow  the  in- 
clination of  your  heart.'  Then,  as  if  to  enforce  his 
precept  by  a  memorable  argument,  not  likely  to  be 
soon  forgotten,  when  he  returned  home  he  im- 
pressed his  teaching  on  the  skin  of  his  pupil  by  a 
mild  castigation.  By  this  means  his  dignity  as  a 
master  was  maintained,  he  consoled  himself  for 
having  unbent  his  mind  to  a  junior,  and  felt  that 
he  had  justified  his  position  as  a  senior,  according 
to  the  rule  then  prevalent  with  parents  and  guar- 
dians."* 

Upon  the  breaking  of  his  voice,  Goss  resided  for 
a  short  time  with  his  uncle  in  Wood  Street,  West- 
minster, with  whom  also  lived,  as  an  articled 
pupil,  James  Turle.  Little  did  these  two  lads 
then  think  that  they  were  destined  to  become 
the  organists  of  the  two  great  churches  of  the 
metropolis. 

For  the  higher  branches  of  composition  Goss  re- 
paired to  Attwood.  He  was  fondly  attached  to 
that  amiable  man  and  admirable  musician.  It  is 
well  known  that  he  cherished  every  memorial  of  his 
intercourse  with  him,  and  after  his  death  never 
alluded  to  him  without  emotion.  With  Attwood 
Goss  learned  to  score  for  an  orchestra  with  a  facility 
equal  to  his  inventive  abilities.  The  fact  of  his 
being  a  singer  made  him  mindful  of  the  needs  of 
vocalists,  and  nothing  that  he  ever  wrote  was  not 
well  laid  out  to  display  the  best  powers  of  the  voice 
for  which  it  is  set.  This  was  the  secret  of  the 
success  of  his  only  dramatic  piece,  the  incidental 
music  to  John  Banim's  play,  The  Sergeant's  Wife, 

*  W.  A.  Barrett,  English  Glees  and  Tart  Songs,  an  Enquiry 
into  their  Historical  Development,  1886. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    505 

written  in  1827.  It  enjoyed  the  unprecedented 
run,  at  that  time,  of  over  one  hundred  nights. 

Goss's  voice  subsequently  settled  down  into  a 
light  tenor,  and  as  he  did  not  get  an  organ,  he 
accepted  an  engagement  to  sing  in  the  chorus  of 
the  opera.  This  was  in  1817,  when  Mozart's  Don 
Giovanni  was  first  presented  to  an  English  audience, 
though  in  a  sadly  mutilated  form,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Henry  R.  Bishop,  who,  in  after  years,  con- 
fessed himself  heartily  ashamed  of  the  business. 

In  1 8 19  Goss  unsuccessfully  competed  for  the 
organistship  of  Chelsea  Church,  but  seems  to  have 
been  more  fortunate  two  years  later,  when,  on  the 
secession  of  John  Jolly,  he  was  appointed  to  Stock- 
well  Chapel,  now  S.  Andrew's  Church. 

In  1824  the  new  parish  church  of  S.  Luke, 
Chelsea,  was  consecrated,  and  Goss  was  appointed 
its  first  organist.  Here  he  remained  until  1838, 
his  time  being  divided  between  teaching  (of  which 
he  began  to  have  a  large  connection,  coupled  with 
a  professorship  of  Harmony  at  the  Royal  Academy) 
and  glee  singing.  Even  at  this  comparatively  early 
period  Goss  seems  to  have  had  considerable  ex- 
perience in  part-writing,  when  we  examine  his 
charming  set  of  Six  Glees  and  One  Madrigal,  pub- 
lished in  1826,  which  includes  "  Kitty  Fell,"  "  The 
Sycamore  Shade,"  and  "  Ossian's  Hymn  to  the 
Sun,"  the  last-named  gaining  the  prize  offered  by 
the  Glee  Club  in  1833. 

On  one  occasion  at  the  Glee  Club,  Goss's  quiet 
humour  nearly  brought  the  performance  to  an 
abrupt  conclusion.  A  "  serious  "  glee  had  been 
"  called  " — one  of  Spofforth's ;  the  sloping  desk 
supporting  the  copy  had  been  placed  before  Goss, 


506     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

who  was  to  sing  one  of  the  tenor  parts,  and  the 
other  singers  stood  around  him.  When  they  had 
got  about  half-way  through  the  glee  a  tiny  spider 
let  itself  down  from  the  ceiling  on  to  the  book,  and 
commenced  performing  a  series  of  extraordinary 
evolutions.  Goss  followed  the  little  creature  with 
his  finger  as  it  ran  its  course  up  and  down  the  score, 
and,  by  so  doing,  disturbed  his  colleagues  quite 
sufficiently.  Presently  he  had  a  bar's  rest,  when, 
instead  of  observing  the  customary  silence,  he  said 
in  a  voice  sufficiently  loud  to  be  heard  by  those 
immediately  around  him  :  "  The  glee  we  are  sing- 
ing is  a  Spofforth,  but  this  spider  evidently  mistakes 
it  for  a  Webbe"  This  was  quite  too  much  for  his 
colleagues,  who,  from  that  point  to  the  end,  sang 
the  "  serious  "  glee  with  grinning  faces  and  tittering 
voices. 

In  1826  Goss  contributed  two  songs  for  a  soprano 
to  a  collection  of  sacred  music,  edited  by  Alfred 
Petett,  of  Norwich — "  Give  praises  to  God  "  and 
"  Stand  up  and  bless  the  Lord."  The  book  was 
reviewed  in  the  Gentleman *s  Magazine  of  April, 
1827,  Goss's  songs  being  described  as  "  among  the 
early  productions  of  a  scientific  and  amiable  young 


man." 


While  organist  of  S.  Luke's,  Goss  published  a 
collection  of  parochial  psalmody.  This  was  in  four 
volumes,  which,  besides  responses,  chants,  and  hymn 
tunes,  contained  a  selection  of  organ  voluntaries. 
One  of  the  chants  was  the  well-known  double  one 
in  C  minor,  arranged  by  Goss  himself  from  the 
Allegretto  of  Beethoven's  Symphony  No.  7  (op.  92). 
The  title  pages  of  these  pocket  volumes  were  em- 
bellished with  some  charming  vignettes  engraved 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    507 

on  steel.  During  the  same  period  Goss,  who  was 
then  resident  at  3  Cheyne  Walk,  edited  (in  three 
volumes  octavo)  The  Sacred  Minstrel,  an  interesting 
compilation  of  solos,  duets,  and  trios  by  various 
composers,  English  and  foreign.  Among  the  native 
contributors  were  Attwood,  John  Barnett,  H.  R. 
Bishop,  W.  H.  Callcott,  J.  C.  Clifton,  Tom  Cooke, 
W.  Horsley,  J.  McMurdie,  Thomas  Forbes  Wal- 
misley,  Thomas  Attwood  Walmisley,  and  the  Earl 
of  Wilton.  The  first  volume  was  published  in  1833, 
with  a  dedication  to  Mrs.  J.  W.  Lockwood,  wife  of 
the  Rector  of  Chelsea.  Three  very  beautiful  songs 
were  contributed  by  Goss  himself — "  O  had  I  wings 
like  yonder  bird  !  "  They  are  not  lost,  but  gone 
before,"  and  "  Weep  not  for  me."  The  words  of 
the  last-named  were  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Dale,  then 
Vicar  of  S.  Bride's,  Fleet  Street,  subsequently 
(1843-70)  one  of  the  Canons  Residentiary  of 
S.  Paul's  and  (1846-60)  Vicar  of  S.  Pancras.  The 
Sacred  Minstrel  also  contained  adaptations  from  the 
works  of  Beethoven,  Cherubini,  Haydn,  Hummel, 
Marcello,  Neukomm,  Pergolesi,  and  others. 

At  this  epoch  of  his  career  Goss  appears  to  have 
taken  up  orchestral  writing,  for  we  find  that  an 
Overture  in  F  minor  was  composed  for  the  concerts 
of  the  Philharmonic  Society  in  1825,  and  performed 
several  times.  It  was  revived  at  the  Chester 
Musical  Festival  by  Dr.  J.  C.  Bridge  in  1882.  The 
success  of  this  overture  inspired  Goss  with  courage, 
and  shortly  afterwards  a  similar  composition  in  E^ 
appeared  from  his  pen.  Both  were  full  of  graceful, 
tender  phrasing,  sometimes  most  skilfully  handled, 
but  neither  would  be  listened  to  with  complacency 
in  the  present  day,  when  noise  appears  to  be  mis- 


508     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

taken  for  music  at  many  of  our  orchestral  concerts. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  in  1833 
it  was  resolved  to  offer  Goss  the  sum  of  .£35  for  an 
orchestral  piece,  but  there  is  no  evidence  to  prove 
that  he  produced  anything  more  in  this  department 
of  music. 

In  1833  Goss  competed  for  the  Gresham  Prize 
Medal  and  sent  in  an  anthem,  "  Have  mercy  upon 
me."  He  was  successful,  and  the  anthem  was  pub- 
lished by  J.  Alfred  Novello.*  An  examination  of 
the  score  of  this  composition  will  show  how  much 
Goss  was  indebted  to  the  influence  of  Attwood,  to 
whom  it  was  dedicated.  A  copy  in  the  writer's 
possession  is  inscribed  in  a  neat  hand,  "  For  Miss 
Hackett  [the  donor  of  the  Prize]  with  the  Author's 
respectful  compliments." 

*  This  anthem  and  another — "Proclaim  ye  this  among  the 
Gentiles,"  by  James  Kendrick  Pyne,  sent  in  for  the  Prize  of  1839 
— were  decidedly  the  most  interesting  and  original  of  this  other- 
wise dull  series  of  compositions.  The  other  Gresham  Prizemen 
were  Charles  Hart  (183 1),  Kellow  J.  Pye  (1832),  G.  J.  Elvey 
(1834),  Charles  Lucas  (1835),  Rev.  W.  H.  Havergal  (1836  and 
1 841),  Edward  Dearie  (1837),  E.  J.  Hopkins  (1838  and 
1840),  Alfred  Angel  (1842),  and  James  Battye  (1845).  In  the 
prize  compositions  of  these  writers  we  fail  to  trace  any  sentiment  or 
originality,  fettered  as  they  were  by  the  conditions  of  the  competi- 
tion. In  music  written  under  such  circumstances  there  may  be 
considerable  industry,  but  no  genius.  The  composer  becomes  a 
stoic  in  the  midst  of  his  pathos.  As  we  well  know,  two  out  of 
the  above  number — Hopkins,  in  his  Services  in  A  and  F,  and  in  his 
anthems,  "  I  will  wash  my  hands  in  innocency  "  and  "  Thy  mercy, 
O  Lord  "  ;  and  Elvey  in  his  "  In  that  day  "  and  "  Wherewithal  " 
— wrote  admirably  when  left  to  follow  the  natural  bent  of  their 
genius.  No.  The  Gresham  Prize  compositions,  taking  them  as  a 
whole,  added  little  or  nothing  to  the  reputation  of  English  Church 
music.  The  rejection  of  Wesley's  "  Wilderness  "  by  the  umpires, 
Crotch  and  Stevens,  has  already  been  alluded  to. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    509 

Upon  the  death  of  Attwood  in  March,  1838, 
Goss  became  his  successor  as  organist  and  vicar 
choral  of  S.  Paul's,  obtaining  the  appointments,  it 
is  said,  through  the  influence  of  the  Dukes  of 
Cambridge  and  Wellington. 

For  the  celebration  of  the  Coronation  of  Queen 
Victoria  in  the  same  year  he  produced  an  anthem, 
"  O  Lord,  grant  the  Queen  a  long  life,"  and  in 
honour  of  Her  Majesty's  marriage  in  1840  wrote 
another,  "  The  Queen  shall  rejoice."  Both  were 
published  by  Cramer.  The  second  contains  a  very 
beautiful  treble  solo,  and  soon  after  its  appearance 
was  sung  at  S.  Paul's. 

Several  good  stories  are  related  in  reference  to 
Goss's  appointment  as  organist  of  S.  Paul's.  Dr. 
E.  J.  Hopkins  in  his  interesting  paper,  previously 
quoted,  gave  the  following  : — 

In  the  year  1838,  Thomas  Attwood,  the  organist  of 
S.  Paul's  Cathedral,  died,  and  Sir  John  (then  Mr.)  Goss 
thought  of  applying  for  the  appointment,  and  sought  an 
interview  with  the  Rev.  Sydney  Smith,  for  the  purpose  of 
talking  the  matter  over  with  him.  Sydney  Smith  com- 
menced by  tantalizing  Goss  slightly.  "  I  suppose, 
Mr.  Goss,  you  are  aware  what  the  statutable  salary  is  ? " 
"Not  exactly."  "Well,  it  is  about  £34  per  annum." 
"  Oh  indeed,  is  that  all  ?  Well,  as  I  am  receiving  about 
;£loo  at  Chelsea,  I  think  I  will,  if  you  will  allow  me, 
consider  the  matter  a  little  further  before  I  leave  my  name," 
and  he  was  about  to  retire  when  Sydney  Smith  continued, 
"Perhaps,  Mr.  Goss,  before  you  go,  you  would  like  to 
know  whether  any  other  appointment  or  any  perquisites 
appertain  to  the  office  of  organist  ? "  and  he  then  entered 
into  particulars  which  gave  so  different  a  complexion  to  the 
matter  that  Goss  at  once  entered  his  name. 

Time  when  on,  and  Goss  began  to  wish  he  could  gain 
some  tidings  as  to  whether  anything  had  been  decided  at 
2  L 


510     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

the  Cathedral,  when,  one  evening,  he  met  Sydney  Smith  at 
a  large  dinner  party.  He  did  not,  however,  like  to  make 
any  enquiry.  At  the  table  Goss  sat  opposite  Sydney 
Smith,  to  whom  fell  the  duty  of  carving  a  fine  piece  of 
salmon.  "Mr.  Goss,"  enquired  Sydney  Smith,  "what 
part  shall  I  send  you  ? "  "I  have  no  choice,  thank  you." 
Thereupon  he  cut  a  piece  right  across  the  fish,  and  handing 
it  said,  "  Accept  that ;  and  I  trust  Sydney  Smith  will  always 
be  found  ready  to  assist  Mr.  Goss  through  thick  and  thin." 
Goss  readily  perceived  the  possibility  of  a  double  meaning 
being  conveyed  by  this  witty  speech ;  and,  on  his  return 
home,  found  a  letter  awaiting  his  arrival,  acquainting  him 
of  the  successful  result  of  his  application  to  S.  Paul's. 

Mr.  Goss  had  not  long  been  installed  before  he  dis- 
covered that  the  organ  stood  in  need  of  the  addition  of  a 
few  new  and  useful  stops  ;  so  he  took  the  opportunity  one 
weekday  after  service,  of  asking  Sydney  Smith  whether 
these  desirable  alterations  might  be  made.  "Mr.  Goss," 
replied  Sydney  Smith,  "  what  a  strange  set  of  creatures  you 
organists  are.  First  you  want  the  bull  stop,  then  you  want 
the  tom-tit  stop  ;  in  fact,  you  are  like  a  jaded  cab-horse, 
always  longing  for  another  stop.  However,  I  will  ascer- 
tain what  may  be  done  in  the  matter."  And  it  is  almost 
needless  to  add  that  the  amiable  organist  had  his  desire. 

In  the  Psalms  [continues  Dr.  Hopkins]  whenever  there 
occurred  any  reference  to  storms  and  tempest,  the  organ 
used  to  give  forth  a  deep  roll,  to  the  great  delight  of  Miss 
Hackett,  who  would  look  up  at  the  instrument  with  a 
smile  of  intense  satisfaction.  On  one  occasion,  when  the 
Psalms  had  been  unusually  full  of  references  to  atmo- 
spheric disturbances,  and  the  organ  had  been  demonstrative 
to  an  unusual  degree,  and  this  good  lady's  face  had  been 
beaming  almost  incessantly,  after  service  Sydney  Smith 
said,  "  Mr.  Goss,  I  do  not  know  whether  you  have  ever 
observed  the  phenomenon ;  but  your  organ  never  thunders 
but  what  Miss  Hackett's  countenance  lightens." 

In  1 841,  when  resident  at  30  Sloane  Street,  Goss 
compiled    and    published    a    collection    of   chants, 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    511 

ancient  and  modern.  This  contained  257  com- 
positions, printed  in  vocal  score,  with  a  separate 
accompaniment  for  the  organ.  Prefixed  were  some 
useful  observations  on  chanting.  The  book  was 
enriched  by  many  new  compositions  of  great  merit, 
a  large  proportion  appearing  here  for  the  first  time 
in  print.  Goss  himself  contributed  eleven  chants, 
and  James  Turle,  his  contemporary  at  Westminster, 
six.  Other  contributors  were  Sir  Andrew  Barnard, 
Sir  John  Rogers,  Richard  Clark,  J.  W.  Hobbs,  Rev. 
James  Lupton,  Rev.  E.  G.  Beckwith,  J.  L.  Brown- 
smith,  and  George  Cooper.  The  arrangement  of 
the  old  Cathedral  favourites  was  not,  on  the  whole, 
so  good  as  that  presented  by  Bennett  and  Marshall 
in  their  Oxford  collection.  Goss's  compilation 
forms  the  groundwork  of  the  present  S.  PauVs  Cathe- 
dral Chant  Book,  originally  lithographed  in  1872, 
and  published,  with  considerable  alterations  and 
additions,  in  October,  1878. 

In  1842  Goss  wrote  an  anthem,  "  Blessed  is  the 
man  "  (Ps.  1.),  a  scholarly  and,  at  the  same  time, 
melodious  composition  for  a  chorus  of  four  voices, 
with  a  middle  verse  of  the  regular  Cathedral  type 
for  alto,  tenor,  and  bass.  He  intended  writing  an 
anthem  from  each  of  the  150  Psalms,  but  certain 
careless  and  unkind  criticisms  passed  on  "  Blessed 
is  the  man  "  by  members  of  his  own  choir  dis- 
heartened him,  and  he  composed  nothing  more  for 
ten  years.  His  pen,  however,  was  busy  in  other 
ways,  for  about  1843  he  began  editing,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  his  old  fellow-pupil,  James  Turle,  a  collec- 
tion of  Services  and  Anthems  by  standard  writers. 
Some  of  these  had  not  been  previously  published  in 
an  accessible  form,  while  others  had  never  been 


512     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

printed  at  all.  The  series  was  published  by  Cramer, 
of  Regent  Street,  in  forty-two  numbers,  which  on 
their  completion  formed  three  folio  volumes.  The 
composers  represented  were  Aldrich,  Arnold,  Att- 
wood,  Barrow,  Batten,  Battishill,  Blow,  Boyce, 
Byrd,  Child,  Clark,  Cooke  (B.),  Cooke  (R.),  Creygh- 
ton,  Croft,  Farrant,  Gibbons,  Goldwin,  Greene, 
Hayes  (W.),  Kent,  Purcell,  Rogers,  Stroud,  Travers, 
Weldon,  and  Wise. 

Any  uneasiness  that  Goss  may  have  felt  respecting 
the  criticisms  passed  upon  his  anthem,  "  Blessed  is 
the  man,"  must  have  been  completely  dispelled  by 
the  warm  reception  accorded  to  the  noble  dirge 
("  And  the  King  said  to  all  the  people ")  and 
anthem  ("  If  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  ")  which 
he  composed,  at  the  request  of  Dean  Milman,  for 
the  state  funeral  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  at 
S.  Paul's  on  18  November,  1852. 

"  Well  do  I  remember,"  says  one  who  was  present, 
"  the  rehearsal  of  these  works  by  a  large  and  fine 
choir  in  the  music  room,  Store  Street.  When  the 
last  few  bars  of  the  anthem,  pianissimo,  had  died 
away,  there  was  a  profound  silence  for  some  time, 
so  deeply  had  the  hearts  of  all  been  touched  by  its 
truly  devotional  spirit.  Then  there  gradually  arose 
on  all  sides  the  warmest  congratulations  to  the 
composer  ;  it  could  hardly  be  termed  applause,  for 
it  was  something  more  genuine  and  respectful." 

Both  compositions  were  published  in  a  volume 
prepared  by  Goss  for  the  occasion,  comprising  the 
whole  of  the  music  sung,  viz.  the  Burial  Service  of 
Croft  and  Purcell ;  Handel's  anthem,  "  His  body 
is  buried  in  peace  "  ;  the  chorale,  "  Sleepers,  wake," 
from    Mendelssohn's    S.    Paul ;     chants    by    Lord 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    513 

Mornington,  for  Psalms  xxxix.  and  xc. ;  and  the 
arrangement  from  Beethoven's  7th  Symphony  as  a 
double  chant  for  the  Nunc  Dimittis. 

After  this  hardly  a  year  passed  without  the 
appearance  of  an  anthem  from  the  pen  of  Goss. 
For  the  Bicentenary  Festival  of  the  Sons  of  the 
Clergy,  held  at  S.  Paul's  on  10  May,  1854,  our  com- 
poser produced  "  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,"  one 
of  his  best  written  and  most  popular  anthems.  On 
this  occasion  the  middle  verse,  "  O  pray  for  the 
peace  of  Jerusalem,"  was  sung  sotto  voce  by  the 
whole  of  the  voices,  250  in  number,  and  the  suc- 
ceeding bold  choral  recitative,  "  They  that  put 
their  trust  in  the  Lord,"  by  the  whole  of  the  tenors 
and  basses,  120  strong,  in  unison.  The  other 
anthems  introduced  into  the  service,  which  was 
held  under  the  dome,  were  "  God  is  gone  up  " 
(Gibbons)  and  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  "  (Handel)  ; 
while  the  setting  of  the  Cantate  and  Deus  was  that 
of  Attwood  in  D.  The  accompaniments  were  those  of 
the  organ  and  a  band  of  wind  instruments.  A  setting 
of  the  Magnificat  and  Nunc  Dimittis  in  E  major,  in 
the  short,  full  style,  may  be  assigned  to  this  period. 

In  the  same  year  Goss  edited,  in  conjunction 
with  the  Rev.  W.  Mercer,  of  Sheffield,  a  pointed 
psalter,  with  a  collection  of  chants  and  hymn  tunes. 
It  long  maintained  its  popularity  as  a  choral  manual, 
and  was  adopted  for  use  at  the  special  Sunday 
evening  services  at  S.  Paul's,  inaugurated  on  28 
November  (the  First  Sunday  in  Advent),  1858.* 
About  the  same  time  Goss  revised  the  musical 
edition  of  the  "  Mitre  "  hymn-book,  originally  com- 

*  The  book  in  present  use  at  S.  Paul's  is  Hymns  Ancient  and 
Modern.     It  was  introduced  on  Ascension  Day,  1871. 


5H     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

piled  by  the  Rev.  W.  J.  Hall,  proprietor  and  editor 
of  the  Christian  Remembrancer,  in  1836.  The  tunes 
had  previously  been  arranged  for  three  voices  in  a 
very  unsatisfactory  manner  by  William  Hawes, 
whose  work  was  mercilessly  criticized  by  Dr.  Gaunt- 
lett  in  the  Musical  World  of  18  and  25  August, 
1837.*  In  l%$6  Goss  succeeded  William  Knyvettt 
as  one  of  the  composers  to  the  Chapel  Royal,  the 
other  being  Sir  George  Smart,  who  was  likewise 
organist. 

For  the  enthronement  of  the  Bishop  of  London 
(Dr.  Tait)  in  S.  Paul's  Cathedral  on  4  December, 
1856,  Goss  composed  a  short,  full  anthem,  "  O 
praise  the  Lord,  laud  ye  the  Name  of  the  Lord." 
This  was  sung  in  procession,  from  the  west  door 
to  the  choir,  on  the  above  occasion.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  he  wrote  for  insertion  in  the  Musical  Times 
two  of  his  most  popular  anthems  for  the  Festivals 
of  Christmas  and  Easter — "  Behold,  I  bring  you 
good  tidings,"  and  "  Christ  our  Passover."  To  the 
same  periodical  he  contributed,  in  1859,  a  setting 
of  the   Collect   for  the  Thirteenth  Sunday  after 

*  In  order  to  illustrate  Gauntlett's  review  the  proprietor  of 
those  "  small  and  early  "  numbers  of  the  Musical  World  went  to 
the  expense  of  engraving  four  plates  of  music,  showing  Hawes* 
scandalous  blunders  in  the  harmony  and  arrangement  of  the  tunes. 

f  William  Knyvett,  as  composer  to  the  Chapel  Royal,  wrote 
the  anthem  ("This  is  the  day")  for  the  Coronation  of  Queen 
Victoria,  28  June,  1838.  He  was  also  one  of  the  lay  vicars  of 
Westminster  Abbey,  and  principal  alto-singer  and  conductor  of 
the  Concerts  of  Ancient  Music.  He  is  now  chiefly  remembered 
by  his  glee,  "  The  bells  of  S.  Michael's  Tower w  (cleverly 
amplified  by  Sir  Robert  Stewart),  and  by  his  harmonizations,  as 
glees,  of  various  English  airs.  He  was  born  21  April,  1779,  and 
died  at  Ryde,  Isle  of  Wight,  17  November,  1856. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY    515 

Trinity  as  a  short,  full  anthem.  For  the  public 
funeral  of  Admiral  the  Earl  of  Dundonald  in  West- 
minster Abbey  on  14  November,  i860,  he  produced 
the  anthem,  "  O  Lord  God,  Thou  strength  of  my 
health,"  and  in  1862,  for  the  Festival  of  the  Sons 
of  the  Clergy,  he  made  that  magnificent  contribu- 
tion to  modern  Church  music  in  the  shape  of  "  The 
Wilderness,"  the  words  of  which  were  selected  by 
the  Rev.  W.  C.  F.  Webber,  Sub-dean  and  Succentor 
of  S.  Paul's. 

Sir  Robert  Stewart,  the  late  distinguished  Pro- 
fessor of  Music  in  the  University  of  Dublin,  gives  us 
some  pleasant  little  reminiscences  of  Goss  in  a  diary 
kept  by  him  when  in  London  during  the  Handel 
Festival,  held  in  the  Great  Exhibition  year  of 
1862.  Under  date  Sunday,  29  June,  he  says  :  "  At 
3.15  I  got  to  S.  Paul's,  and  just  met  Goss  and  his 
son-in-law  as  they  were  going  into  the  organ-loft. 
The  blowing  is  worked  by  hydraulic  pressure  ;  and 
while  the  organ  was  being  played  I  heard  the  pedals 
very  distinctly  ;  but  when  I  myself  sat  down  (at 
Goss's  desire)  to  play  the  concluding  voluntary,  the 
pedals  seemed  to  vanish  as  if  there  were  none  at  all 
in  the  organ.*  I  accompanied  Goss  to  his  house  in 
Bessborough  Terrace  and  was  introduced  to  his 
family^:  lots  of  girls,  one  son  and  one  son-in-law. 
We  spent  our  evening  inspecting  Attwood's  MSS., 
including  the  papers  wherein  Mozart  conveyed  his 
instructions  to  his  favourite  Englishjmpil.  I  carried 
home  with  me  a^copy  of^Goss's  anthem  (Tbe[Wilder- 
ness),  which  I  afterwards  introduced  into  Christ 
Church,  Dublin.    I  liked  Goss  very  much  ;   he  was 

*  The  organ  had  recently  (i860)  been  removed  from  the  screen 
to  a  position  over  the  stalls,  on  the  north  side  of  the  choir. 


516     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

so  friendly,  and  more  like  the  Irish,  without  the 
stiffness  of  most  Englishmen.  His  stories  of  S.  S. 
Wesley  were  extremely  diverting  !  " 

In  1861  Goss's  anthem,  "  Blessed  is  the  man," 
was  published  in  the  collection  edited  by  the  Rev. 
Sir  F.  A.  Gore  Ouseley,  for  certain  Seasons  and 
Festivals  of  the  Church.  It  was  appropriated  to 
S.  Andrew's  Day  ;  while  two  others,  "  In  Christ 
dwelleth  "  and  "  These  are  they  which  follow  the 
Lamb,"  were  inserted  in  the  same  collection  and 
assigned  to  the  Festivals  of  the  Circumcision  and  the 
Holy  Innocents. 

Jin  1863  there  followed  in^rapid  succession  from 
the  fertile  pen  of  Goss,  "  Lift  up  thine  eyes  round 
about  "  (suitable  for  the  Epiphany)  ;  "  Stand  up 
and  bless  the  Lord  "  (written  for  the  reopening  of 
Hereford  Cathedral,  30  June,  the  words  selected 
by  the  Rev.  John  Jebb,  d.d.)  ;  "  Fear  not,  O  land  " 
(for  Harvest-tide)  ;  and  "  O  taste  and  see  "  (com- 
posed specially  for  the  Sunday  Evening  services  at 
S.  Paul's,  and  first  sung  there  on  15  February). 
These  four  anthems  perhaps  exhibit  Goss  at  his  best, 
abounding  as  they  do  in  that  charmingly  descriptive 
part-writing  in  which  he  has  had  few  equals. 

In  1864  the  anthem,  "  O  taste  and  see,"  was 
inserted,  together  with  one  for  harvest,  "  I  will 
magnify  Thee,"  in  Novello's  collection, "Thirty-one 
Anthems  by  Modern  Composers.  For  the^ Festival  of 
the  Sons  of  the  Clergy  in  1865  Goss  was  again  re- 
quested to  write  the  anthem.  This  was  a  setting 
of  Dean  Milman's  beautiful  lines  from  his  Martyr 
of  Antioch,  beginning  "  Brother,  thou  art  gone 
before  us."  The  service  used  on  this  occasion  was 
that  of  Hopkins  in  F,  and  the  additional  anthems 


SECOND  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY    517 

were  "  I  was  glad  "  (Attwood)  and  "  How  lovely 
are  the  messengers  "  (Mendelssohn).  The  Prince  of 
Wales  was  present  as  one  of  the  Stewards  of  the 
Festival. 

The  first  movement  of  "  Brother,  thou  art  gone 
before  us,"  was  subsequently  adapted  by  Goss  to  a 
portion  of  Psalm  xc,  as  being  likely  to  prove  of 
greater  utility  for  ordinary  purposes. 

Between  1865  and  1868  Goss  produced  a  Morning 
and  Evening  Service  in  A  ;*  four  anthems,  "  Come 
and  let  us  return,"  "  Hear,  O  Lord,"  "  O  give 
thanks  "  (for  the  S.  Paul's  Evening  Services,  1866, 
and  sung  at  the  Festival  of  the  Sons  of  the  Clergy, 
1867),  and  "  O  praise  the  Lord  of  Heaven."  To 
the  same  period  belongs  a  setting,  in  E  minor,  of 
the  Burial  Service,  full  of  the  most  deep  devotion 
and  touching  pathos.  The  last  movement  of  this 
service,  "  I  heard  a  voice  from  Heaven,"  was  sub- 
sequently amplified  by  the  composer  as  a  separate 
anthem,  and  dedicated  to  his  son,  the  Rev.  John 
Goss,  Succentor  of  Hereford. 

On  27  December,  1866 — his  sixty-sixth  birthday 
— a  banquet  was  given  in  Goss's  honour  at  the 
Albion  Tavern,  Aldersgate  Street,  Cipriani  Potter 
in  the  chair.  A  testimonial,  subscribed  for  by  his 
numerous  friends  and  admirers,  was  presented  to 
Goss,  consisting  of  "an  elegantly  designed  efergne 
and  a  silver  inkstand,"  together  with  a  bouquet  from 
Madame  Otto  Goldschmidt  {nee  Jenny  Lind).     In 

*  The  Morning  Service  (Te  Deum  and  Jubilate)  was  originally 
in  unison  and  written  for  the  meeting  of  the  Charity  Children  in 
S.  Paul's,  1  June,  1865,  when  it  took  the  place  of  Boyce's  full 
service  in  A,  previously  sung  on  those  occasions.  Goss  also 
arranged  it  for  four  voices,  and  subsequently  added  the  Benedictus. 


518     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

the  course  of  the  evening  several  of  the  composer's 
finest  anthems  and  glees  were  sung  by  members  of 
the  choirs  of  S.  Paul's,  Westminster  Abbey,  and  the 
Chapel  Royal.  Among  the  speakers  was  the  Rev. 
W.  W.  Champneys,  Vicar  of  S.  Pancras  and  one  of 
the  Canons  Residentiary  of  S.  Paul's,  subsequently 
(1868-75)  Dean  of  Lichfield.*  Dean  Champneys' 
grandfather,  the  Rev.  Weldon  Champneys,  was 
Precentor  of  Westminster,  and  from  1797  until  his 
death  in  18 10  Sub-dean  and  Succentor  of  S.  Paul's. 
In* 1869  Goss  wrote  a  melodious  setting  of  the 
le  Deum  in  F  and,  what  is  by  many  considered  his 
greatest  inspiration,  "  O  Saviour  of  the  world,"  the 
antiphon  in  the  Office  of  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  natural,  perfectly  written, 
and  expressive  pieces  in  the  whole  range  of  sacred 
musical  literature.  For  depth  of  feeling  it  has  been 
aptly  compared  with  Mozart's  last  vocal  composi- 
tion, Ave  Verum.  It  was  well  known  to  Goss's 
intimate  friends  that  he  delayed  the  composition  of 
"  O  Saviour  of  the  world  "  for  some  weeks,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  being  unable  to  find  the  right  chord 
to  suit  a  certain  passage  in  the  words.  Yet  the  whole 
appears  so  free  and  spontaneous  that  it  is  difficult 
to  believe  that  it  is  not  the  result  of  a  single  un- 
interrupted effort.  The  original  folio  edition  bears 
the  inscription,  "  To  his  friend  Joseph  Barnby."    It 

*  Dean  Champneys'  son,  Dr.  Frank  Champneys,  the  dis- 
tinguished physician,  was  a  pupil  of  Goss.  He  is  known  as  an 
amateur  composer  of  great  merit.  His  anthem,  "  O  praise  the 
Lord,"  was  written  in  1868  for  the  Sunday  Evening  Services  at 
S.  Paul's,  and  his  fine  motett  for  eight  voices,  u  O  Thou  most  merci- 
ful Jesu  "  (O  dementis sime  Jesu),  is  frequently  sung  at  the  unac-« 
companied  Friday  services  in  the  same  Cathedral. 


SECOND   HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    519 

was  at  Barnby's  suggestion  that  the  anthem  was 
written.* 

For  the  Seventh  Annual  Festival  of  the  Richmond 
and  Kingston  Church  Choral  Association,  in  1869, 
Goss  composed  an  anthem,  "  The  glory  of  the 
Lord,"  the  middle  movement  of  which  contains 
"  music  which  lingers  in  the  memory  and  refuses  to 
be  forgotten."  All  these  later  compositions  prove 
that  Goss's  talent  for  melody  and  composition  was 
as  fresh  as  of  yore,  and  that  at  a  period  when  most 
men  have  ceased  to  write  altogether.  By  the  above 
year  Goss  had  reached  the  highest  pinnacle  of  fame 
as  a  writer  of  Church  music,  whether  we  consider 
the  number  of  his  compositions  or,  which  would  be 
a  more  correct  criterion,  their  intrinsic  value.  It  is 
said  that  he  never  began  the  writing  of  an  anthem 
without  asking  a  blessing  upon  his  work.  He  meant 
every  anthem  of  his  to  be  what  an  anthem  should 
be — a  sermon  in  music.  Many  of  the  compositions  in 
his  sketch-books  are  prefixed  with  the  letters  I  .N  .D  .A., 
the  initial  letters  of  In  Nomine  Domini.  Amen. 

This  magnificent  series  of  Church  compositions 
was  fitly  crowned  in  1872  by  the  grand  Te  Deum  in 
D  major  and  the  anthem,  "  The  Lord  is  my 
strength,"  written  for  the  Thanksgiving  Service 
held  at  S.  Paul's  for  the  restoration  to  health  of  our 
present  King,  then  Prince  of  Wales. 

Charles  Gounod,  the  distinguished  French  com- 
poser, then  resident  in  this  country,  had  also  written 
a  festal  He  Deum  with  the  intention  of  having  it 
sung  on  the  above  occasion.  But  it  was  not  used, 
and  very  properly  so  ;    for  Goss,  in  his  capacity  as 

*  To  Goss,  Barnby  had  dedicated  his  effective  motett,  "  King 
all  glorious,"  on  its  publication  in  1867. 


520     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Composer  to  the  Chapel  Royal  as  well  as  in  that  of 
organist  of  S.  Paul's,  claimed  the  privilege  of  com- 
posing the  music  for  the  national  thanksgiving  ;  but 
the  modesty  which  had  distinguished  him  through- 
out his  life,  and  the  long  course  of  indifference  with 
which  he  had  been  regarded  by  the  Cathedral  body, 
kept  him  at  first  from  asserting  his  right.  Had  not 
his  numerous  friends  urged  him  to  furnish  the  neces- 
sary music  for  the  great  day,  one  of  the  first  Church 
composers  then  living  would  have  been  silent  upon 
the  very  occasion  when  his  voice  ought  to  have  been 
heard.  However,  he  acquitted  himself,  as  we  know, 
admirably,  and  upon  the  grand  effect  with  which 
the  ¥e  Deum  and  anthem  were  sung  on  that  memor- 
able 27th  of  February,  1872,  it  is  needless  to 
expatiate. 

The  following  correspondence  which  passed  be- 
tween Gounod  and  Goss,  relative  to  the  Thanks- 
giving Day  music,  will  be  found  of  interest  : — 

"Tavistock  House,  Tavistock  Square, 

"Friday,  19th  Jan.,  1872. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Goss, — I  have  composed  in 
commemoration,  and  as  a  thanksgiving  for  the  re- 
covery of  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales,  a  Te  Deum 
on  the  text  of  your  English  Church  Service,  for 
chorus  and  organ.  I  should  be  very  happy  if  it 
could  be  performed  at  S.  Paul's  on  the  occasion  of 
Her  Majesty's  going  to  S.  Paul's  to  render  thanks, 
as  I  see  it  is  her  intention  to  do  so  in  February  next ; 
and  I  would  be  very  grateful  to  you  if  you  could 
manage  this  for  me. 

"  Believe  me,  dear  Mr.  Goss,  to  remain, 
"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  Ch.  Gounod." 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY    521 

"15  Clarewood  Terrace,  Brixton, 
"  Jan.  23,  1872. 
"  My  dear  Sir, — As  soon  as  I  received  your 
letter  about  the  Te  Deum,  I  took  it  to  our  Dean 
[Church],  but  I  have  not  since  heard  from  him. 
In  all  candour  I  must  confess  to  you  that  I  do  not 
wish  it  to  be  accepted  for  the  occasion  of  the 
National  Thanksgiving  in  S.  Paul's,  for  the  very 
natural  reason  that  there  are  yet  Englishmen  in 
existence  who  surely  are  capable  of,  and  would  be 
expected  to  produce,  the  music  required  for  the 
ceremony.  I  am  quite  sure  that  their  hearts  would 
be  in  the  cause. 

"  You  will,  I  trust,  forgive  my  hasty  remarks, 
and,  dear  Sir,  believe  me,  with  all  veneration  for 
your  genius, 

"Yours  faithfully, 

"John  Goss." 

Dr.  T.  L.  Southgate,  when  publishing  these 
letters  in  the  Musical  Standard  of  13  May,  1882, 
observed  that  they  spoke  for  themselves  and  needed 
little  comment.  Gounod's  desire  was  the  outcome 
of  a  natural  ambition,  very  properly  expressed.  Of 
Goss's  reply  we  may  all  feel  proud.  It  was  the 
straightforward  letter  of  a  true  gentleman.  Con- 
sidering that  he  held  the  office  of  State  Composer, 
the  entire  absence  of  self  in  the  courteous  rebuke 
conveyed  to  the  distinguished  French  composer  was 
not  a  little  remarkable.  This  feature,  and  the  quiet 
patriotic  ring  that  the  letter  has  about  it,  are 
characteristic  of  the  man,  as  all  who  enjoyed  the 
friendship  of  Goss  must  well  know. 

Shortly  afterwards   Goss  was  urged  to  set  the 


522     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

Benedictus  to  music  in  order  that  it  might  be  used 
with  the  Te  Deum  as  a  morning  service.  He  com- 
plied, and  it  was  probably  while  listening  to  a  per- 
formance of  it  by  the  fine  choir  of  the  Cathedral 
that  his  last  visits  to  S.  Paul's  were  paid  ;  for  shortly 
after  the  Thanksgiving  Day  he  retired  from  the 
organistship,  but  continued  to  attend  the  services, 
and  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  encouraging,  by 
words  of  praise  or  advice,  those  who  were  trying 
hard  to  improve  the  musical  portion  of  the  worship 
in  his  beloved  church. 

Gounod's  Te  Deum  (in  C  major)  was  introduced 
into  the  service  lists  of  S.  Paul's  in  1873  by  the 
Rev.  W.  C.  F.  Webber,  the  then  Succentor. 
Gounod,  following  the  example  of  Goss,  added  a 
setting  of  Benedictus.  This  is  in  G  major.  Both 
movements  were  published  with  a  dedication  to  the 
Very  Rev.  R.  W.  Church,  Dean  of  S.  Paul's.  It  is 
interesting  to  observe  that  Gounod's  anthem, 
"  Sing  praises  to  the  Lord  "  (wherein  he  has,  so  to 
speak,  recorded  his  impressions  of  our  Cathedral 
service),  was,  on  its  publication  in  1870,  inscribed 
to  Goss.  His  fine  motetts,  "  All  ye  who  weep," 
"  As  the  hart  pants,"  "  O  come  near  to  the  Cross," 
"  O  Day  of  Penitence,"  "  Daughters  of  Jerusalem," 
and  "  Word  of  God  Incarnate,"  owe  their  intro- 
duction at  S.  Paul's  to  the  Rev.  W.  Sparrow  Simpson, 
d.d.,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Webber  in  the  Succentor- 
ship  of  S.  Paul's  in  1876,  and  they  were  first  sung 
at  S.  Paul's  during  the  Passiontide  of  that  year. 
They  supplied  a  want  long  felt  in  the  selection  of 
music  strictly  appropriate  to  that  season  of  the 
Church.  In  all  of  them  we  find  exquisite  melody, 
rich  harmony ;  music  grand,  devotional,  and  at  the 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    523 

same  time  scholarly.  No  musician  can  take  up  these 
works  without  profiting  by  the  study  of  their 
author's  resources  ;  no  worshipper  can  hear  them 
without  being  deeply  moved.  With  regard  to  the 
motett,  "  O  come  near  to  the  Cross,"  it  is  a  some- 
what significant  proof  of  the  estimation  in  which 
that  piece  was  held  by  its  composer  that  he  should 
have  inscribed  it  to  his  brother-in-art,  Hector 
Berlioz,  and  one  cannot  but  agree  in  deeming  it  a 
bond  worthy  to  unite  two  musicians  of  such  dis- 
tinction. It  should  be  understood  that  all  these 
motetts  were  originally  set  to  Latin  words,  and  were 
first  published  in  England  by  Novello  in  1866.  The 
translations  were  chiefly  made  by  the  Rev.  Benjamin 
Webb,  for  the  use  of  S.  Andrew's,  Wells  Street,  and 
in  this  form  they  were  originally  sung  at  that  church 
under  the  direction  of  Joseph  Barnby,  the  then 
organist  and  choirmaster. 

Since  1876  the  repertoire  of  S.  Paul's  has  been 
further  enriched  by  the  addition  of  some  equally 
fine  works  by  Gounod  for  use  as  anthems,  such  as 
"  Here  by  Babylon's  wave,"  "  Come  unto  Him," 
"  Solitary  lies  the  city  "  (Gallia),  "  Out  of  dark- 
ness "  (De  Profundis),  "  Lo  !  the  children  of  the 
Hebrews,"  "O  sing  to  God"  (Noe%  "Hail! 
gladdening  light,"  and  two  beautiful  settings  of  the 
Ave  Verum.  Gounod,  during  his  sojourn  in  London 
(1870-6),  was  a  frequent  attendant  at  both  S.  Paul's 
and  S.  Andrew's,  Wells  Street.  During  this  period 
he  wrote  much  music,  sacred  and  secular,  to  English 
words. 

Soon  after  the  Thanksgiving  Day — on  19  March, 
1872  —  Goss   received   the   honour   of  knighthood 


S24     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

from  Queen  Victoria  and  her  thanks  for  his  music. 
Four  years  later  the  degree  of  Doctor  in  Music, 
honoris  causd^  was  conferred  on  Sir  John  Goss  by 
the  University  of  Cambridge,  his  distinguished 
pupil,  Arthur  Sullivan,  receiving  on  the  same  day  a 
like  distinction. 

In  1875  a  subscription  was  collected,  the  proceeds 
of  which  were  applied  to  the  foundation,  in  con- 
nection with  the  College  of  Organists,  of  a  Goss 
Scholarship  at  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music.  The 
candidates  for  the  scholarship  were  to  be  choristers 
who  intended  to  devote  themselves  to  the  study  of 
the  organ.  The  trust  deed  was  handed  to  Sir  John 
Goss  at  a  largely  attended  meeting,  presided  over 
by  John  Hullah,  at  the  Chapter  House,  S.  Paul's, 
on  14  April,  1875.  At  the  Cathedral  evensong 
which  preceded  the  meeting  the  music  was,  with 
great  propriety,  selected  from  the  compositions  of 
Goss.  It  included  the  Service  in  E  and  the  anthem, 
"  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul." 

Thus,  surrounded  by  respect  and  honours,  and 
ripe  in  years,  Sir  John  Goss  passed  to  his  rest.  He 
died  at  his  house,  26  Lambert  Road,  Brixton  Rise — 
on  the  confines  of  the  great  city  in  which  the  whole 
of  his  long,  useful,  and  laborious  life  had  been  spent 
— on  Monday,  10  May,  1880,  in  the  eightieth  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  buried  in  Kensal  Green  Cemetery 
on  the  Saturday  following,  the  first  part  of  the  ser- 
vice being  rendered  chorally  at  S.  Paul's,  and  in  the 
course  of  which  was  sung  the  affecting  anthem, 
"  If  we  believe  that  Jesus  died." 

On  the  sixth  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Sir  John 
Goss  a  cenotaph  to  his  memory  was  unveiled  in  the 
crypt  of  S.  Paul's      It  is  a  fine  piece  of  workman- 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    525 

ship,  the  principal  material  employed  being  ala- 
baster, varied  by  black  and  white  marble.  The  chief 
feature  of  the  memorial  is  a  panel  with  an  exquisite 
piece  of  sculpture  in  pure  white  Carrara  marble  by 
Hamo  Thornycroft,  r.a.  It  represents  five  sur- 
pliced  choristers  holding  music  books.  As  models 
Mr.  Thornycroft  selected  five  of  the  then  S.  Paul's 
choristers,  and  they  sat  to  him  in  his  studio.  It 
may  be  interesting  to  mention  that  one  of  these 
boys  was  Charles  Macpherson,  now  the  sub-organist 
of  the  Cathedral.  The  inscription  on  the  monument 
is  as  follows  : — 

In  remembrance  of  Sir  John  Goss,  Knight,  Mus.D. 
Cantab. ,  Corn-poser  to  Her  Majesty's  Chapels  Royal 
and  34  years  organist  and  vicar  choral  of  this  Cathe- 
dral. Born,  Dec.  27th,  1800 — Died,  May  10th,  1880. 
His  genius  and  skill  are  shewn  in  the  various  com- 
positions with  which  he  enriched  the  music  of  the 
Church,  His  virtues  and  kindness  of  heart  endeared 
him  to  his  pupils  and  friends,  who  have  erected  this 
monument  in  token  of  their  admiration  and  esteem. 

The  compositions  of  Sir  John  Goss  not  chrono- 
logically alluded  to  in  this  sketch  comprise  a  Sanctus 
(1813)  ;  four  canons — "  Hallelujah,"  "Who  can 
tell  how  oft  he  ofTendeth  ?  "  (1823),  "  I  will  alway 
give  thanks "  (1823),  and  "  Cantate  Domino " 
(1824)  ;  a  Requiem,  in  memory  of  the  Duke  of 
York,  published  in  the  Harmonicon  (1827)  ;  a  similar 
composition  for  William  Shield  (1829)  ;  two  an- 
thems— "  God  so  loved  the  world  "  and  "  Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  way,"  written  in  1850  for  Henry 
Haycraft's  Sacred  Harmony  ;  an  anthem — "  Blessed 
is  he  that  considereth  "  (1854),  st^  m  MS.  ;  seven 
short  anthems  written  for   Congregational  Church 


2   M 


526     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

Music  (1871)  ;  and  two  anthems — "  Forsake  me 
not  "  and  "  O  Lord,  Thou  art  my  God,"  recently 
edited,  from  the  original  MSS.,  by  Mr.  John  E. 
West.  Another  anthem,  "  The  God  of  Jeshurun," 
was  published  in  1882,  under  the  editorship  of  Sir 
Arthur  Sullivan,  who  remarked  in  a  prefatory  note  : 
"  This  anthem  was  left  by  the  late  Sir  John  Goss 
completed  down  to  the  fifty-seventh  bar.  Numer- 
ous sketches,*  altered  and  modified,  testify  to  the 
difficulty  he  seemed  to  encounter  in  continuing 
from  that  point.  As  none  of  them  were  satisfactory 
to  him,  I  have  not  made  use  of  them,  but  have  con- 
tinued and  finished  the  anthem  in  the  endeavour 
to  preserve  the  characteristics  of  his  writing." 
Sir  John  Goss  was  the  author  of  An  Introduction 
to  Harmony,  originally  published  in  1833,  and  still 
in  demand.  He  edited  The  Organist's  Companion — 
a  series  of  Voluntaries,  chiefly  selected  from  the 
celebrated  works  of  Handel,  Bach,  Graun,  Haydn, 
Mozart,  Rinck,  etc.,  in  four  volumes ;  Twenty-five 
Voluntaries  for  the  Organ,  arranged  from  the  works 
of  eminent  composers  ;  The  Melodist — a  Collection 
of  Songs  and  Ballads  by  various  composers ;  Six 
Songs  from  Scripture  by  Thomas  Moore,  with  original 
additions ;  and  an  arrangement  of  Tallis'  Responses 
for  the  Special  Services  at  S.  Paul's.  He  was  the 
composer  of  many  psalm  and  hymn  tunes,  and  it  is 
interesting  to  compare  the  style  of  those  written 
for  the  little  manuals  in  the  Chelsea  days  with  those 
published  inHackett's  National  Psalmist,  Mercer's 
Church  Psalter  and  Hymn  Book,  The  Hymnary,  and 
other  later  collections. 

*  These  sketches,  and  many  others  made  by  Goss,  are  in  the 
possession  of  Dr.  T.  L.  Southgate. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY    527 

The  following  appreciation  of  Goss  will  doubtless 
be  read  with  interest,  written,  as  it  was,  by  his 
successor  in  the  organistship  of  S.  Paul's  Cathedral — 
the  late  Sir  John  Stainer  : — 

"  As  an  organist,  it  is  difficult  to  pass  an  opinion 
on  Goss.  The  organs  of  his  youth  were  very  differ- 
ent instruments  from  those  of  our  own  time,  and  if 
he  were  not  a  brilliant  performer  from  a  modern 
point  of  view,  it  is  equally  certain  that  many  of  our 
young  organists  would  be  utterly  unable  to  produce 
the  fine  effects  which  Goss  produced  on  an  organ 
having  two  octaves  of  very  clumsy  pedals,  a  gamut-G 
swell,  a  16  ft.  (CCC)  great  organ  manual,  and  two 
or  three  unruly  composition  pedals.  He  always 
accompanied  the  voices  (especially  when  soli)  with 
thoroughly  good  taste,  and  his  extempore  volun- 
taries were  sometimes  models  of  grace  and  sweetness. 

"As  a  man,  Goss  commanded  universal  respect. 
The  chief  features  of  his  character  were  humility, 
genuine  religious  feeling,  and  a  strong  love  of  home 
and  home  ties.  So  deep-seated  was  his  humility  that 
it  produced  a  sort  of  shyness  in  his  manner  which 
partially  unfitted  him  for  the  rougher  duties  of 
public  fife.  The  discipline  and  efficiency  of  the 
cathedral  choir  reached  a  very  low  standard  during 
the  latter  portion  of  his  career.  But  although  Goss 
was  not  altogether  the  man  to  cope  with  those  self- 
willed  musicians  who  were  on  the  staff,  he  must 
not  be  solely  blamed  for  the  unsatisfactory  state  of 
the  cathedral  choir.  The  fact  is,  he  had,  for  a 
considerable  period,  to  deal  with  a  Chapter  which, 
taken  as  a  body,  had  neither  the  power  nor  wish  to 
face  the  unpleasant  duty  of  becoming  reformers. 
His  hearty  interest  in  all  the  improvements  which 


528     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

he  lived  to  witness  in  the  reorganization  of  the 
choral  staff  by  the  present  Dean  and  Chapter,*  and 
the  sincere  pleasure  which  the  now  beautiful 
musical  services  gave  him,  prove  beyond  doubt  that, 
had  his  lot  been  cast  in  better  days,  Goss  would 
have  been  second  to  no  one  in  his  efforts  to  raise 
the  musical  credit  of  S.  Paul's  to  its  proper  level. 

"  A  careful  study  and  familiar  knowledge  of  the 
sacred  compositions  of  Goss  leaves  a  very  definite 
feeling  that  their  author  was  a  man  of  refined 
thought,  religious  in  life,  possessing  a  keen  apprecia- 
tion of  the  resources  of  his  art,  tempered  by  a  firm 
resolution  to  use  them  only  in  a  legitimate  manner. 
There  is  that  gentleness  and  repose  about  them 
which  eminently  characterized  the  man  himself. 
He  treated  all  others  with  consideration  and  good- 
ness, and  seemed  hurt  when  he  had  occasion  to 
realize  the  fact  that  others  did  not  always  treat  him 
in  the  same  way.  He  loved  quietness  and  valued 
the  affection  of  others." 

In  the  year  1889 — the  limit  of  our  present  History 
— English  music  sustained  an  irreparable  loss  by  the 
death  of  the  Rev.  Sir  Frederick  A.  Gore  Ouseley, 
one  of  the  most  ardent  and  learned  of  those  musi- 
cians who  pursue  the  art  rather  as^a  means  of 
healthful  intellectual  enjoyment  than  of  pecuniary 
profit.  Altogether  a  most  remarkable  personality, 
his  refined  knowledge,  profound  scholarship,  and 

*  These  words  were  written  in  1880.  The  Chapter  of  S.  Paul's 
at  the  time  when  the  great  reforms,  musical  and  otherwise,  were 
carried  out  in  that  Cathedral,  beginning  in  187 1,  was  composed  of 
the  Very  Rev.  R.  W.  Church  (Dean),  and  the  Revs.  R.  Gregory, 
H.  P.  Liddon,  J.  B.  Lightfoot,  and  Bishop  Piers  Claughton 
(Canons  Residentiary). — J.  S.  B. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    529 

grasp  of  every  phase  of  the  history,  science,  and 
literature  of  music  were  astonishing ;  while  the 
numerous  services  and  anthems,  all  characterized  by 
thought,  the  highest  musical  intelligence  and  depth 
of  feeling,  with  which  he  enriched  our  ecclesiastical 
repertory,  will  ever  remain  as  classics. 

Frederick  Arthur  Gore  Ouseley,  the  only  son  of 
the  Right  Hon.  Sir  Gore  Ouseley,  Bart.,  g.c.b., 
f.r.s.  (the  distinguished  Oriental  scholar,  and  suc- 
cessively Ambassador  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary 
to  Russia  and  Persia),  was  born  in  Grosvenor  Square, 
12  August,  1825.  He  came  from  the  same  old  Irish 
stock  that  gave  to  the  world  the  Wesleys  and  the 
Wellesleys,  two  notable  families  in  our  history.  At 
his  baptism  in  the  church  of  Hertingfordbury, 
Herts,  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  the  Duke  of 
York,  and  the  Marchioness  of  Salisbury  were  his 
sponsors.  Extraordinary  stories  are  related  of  his 
musical  precocity.  All  that  the  Hon.  Daines  Bar- 
rington  has  recorded  in  the  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions of  the  precocious  talents  of  Mozart,  of 
Crotch,  and  of  Charles  and  Samuel  Wesley  ceases 
to  surprise  when  compared  with  what  is  known  of 
Ouseley.  He  could  play  almost  before  he  could  talk. 
In  the  Library  of  S.  Michael's  College,  Tenbury, 
is  preserved  a  volume  containing  243  compositions, 
showing  the  extraordinary  precocity  of  Ouseley's 
genius.  Many  of  these  (chiefly  waltzes,  marches,  and 
melodies)  were  composed  at  the  age  of  five  years, 
for  his  parents,  Queen  Adelaide,  Madame  Pasta, 
Madame  Weiss,  Lady  Denbigh,  Lady  Fitzgibbon, 
Hon.  Miss  Jervis,  and  others.  The  earliest  example 
is  dated  November,  1828,  when  only  three  years 
and  three  months  old.     At  the  age  of  seven  and  a 


530     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

half  years  he  composed  an  opera,  the  MS.  of  which 
consists  of  fifty-three  pages  of  six  lines  each,  but  it 
has  no  distinguishing  title  ;  and  when  about  eight 
years  old  he  wrote  another  with  Italian  words, 
entitled  Vlsola  Disabitata,  which  was  noticed  in 
the  Musical  Library  of  September,  1834.  About 
the  same  time  he  composed  a  duet,  "  Vanne  a 
regnar  besnomio,"  for  soprano  and  contralto.  This 
was  printed  by  Novello,  and  favourably  reviewed 
at  the  time  of  its  appearance.  In  a  book  entitled 
Original  Compositions  in  Prose  and  Verse,  an  oblong 
4to,  published  by  Edmund  Lloyd,  of  Harley  Street, 
Cavendish  Square  (1833),  appeared  a  March  in  C 
and  an  Air  in  A^,  both  written  at  the  age  of  six  ; 
while  in  the  eleventh  volume  of  the  Harmonic  on 
appears  another  March  in  C. 

Sir  Frederick  Ouseley  was  educated  privately  at 
Dorking  by  the  Rev.  James  Joyce,  vicar  of  the 
parish,  whose  son,  J.  Wayland  Joyce,  afterwards 
Rector  of  Burford,  near  Tenbury,  was  one  of 
Ouseley's  most  attached  friends.  In  1843,  at  the 
age  of  eighteen,  he  went  to  Oxford,  entering  Christ 
Church  as  a  gentleman  commoner.  On  the  death 
of  his  father  in  1844  he  succeeded  to  the  baronetcy. 
He  graduated  B.A.  in  1846,  and  M.A.  in  1849.  In 
1850  he  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  in  Music,  his 
exercise  being  a  cantata,  "  The  Lord  is  the  true 
God,"  a  composition  revived  at  the  Hereford 
Festival  in  August,  1858. 

During  Ouseley's  last  year  at  Christ  Church  Dr. 
Marshall,  the  Cathedral  organist,  resigned.  Ouseley 
immediately  offered  his  services  as  honorary  organist, 
an  offer  which  the  Dean  and  Chapter  were  only  too 
glad  to  accept.     He  made  himself  responsible  for 


The  Re\ 


Sir  FREDERICK  A.  GORE  OUSELEY 
Bart.,  M.A.,  Mus.D. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY    531 

the  whole  of  the  musical  work  of  the  Cathedral,  and 
until  Dr.  C.  W.  Corfe  was  appointed  some  months 
later  is  said  not  to  have  missed  a  single  service. 

On  leaving  Oxford  in  1846,  Ouseley  began  reading 
for  Holy  Orders,  having  decided  to  enter  the 
Church.  He  worked  very  hard  ;  he  knew  the  argu- 
ment of  Paley  by  heart,  and  sometimes  read  four- 
teen hours  a  day.  This  brought  him  to  the  head 
of  the  list  of  candidates,  and  at  his  Ordination  in 
S.  Paul's  Cathedral,  on  Trinity  Sunday,  1849,  he 
was  selected  to  read  the  Gospel.  He  was  licensed 
to  a  curacy  at  S.  Paul's,  Knightsbridge,  under  the 
Rev.  W.  J.  E.  Bennett  {clarum  et  venerabile  nomen), 
in  the  choir  of  which  church  he  had  previously, 
with  Sir  John  Harington  and  other  well-known 
Churchmen,  sung  as  a  layman.  In  the  following 
year  S.  Barnabas',  Pimlico,  was  consecrated  as  a 
chapelry  to  S.  Paul's.  Sir  Frederick  then  principally 
served  that  church,  living  in  the  adjoining  clergy 
house  or  college  with  his  fellow-curates,  the  Revs. 
Henry  Fyffe,  Laurence  Tutiett,  and  G.  F.  de  Gex. 
Soon  after  the  memorable  consecration  of  S.  Barna- 
bas', on  11  June,  1850,  ritual  troubles  ensued,  and 
in  the  following  November  the  beautiful  church 
was  desecrated  by  the  notorious  anti-Puseyite  riots. 
Matters  terminated  in  the  resignation  of  Mr. 
Bennett  and  his  staff  of  curates.  When,  in  March, 
1 85 1,  the  final  break-up  came,  the  idea  occurred  to 
Sir  Frederick  that  the  boys  of  the  choir,  who  had 
joined  it  with  hopes  of,  at  least,  such  an  education 
as  would  fit  them  for  entering  the  world,  fared 
hardly  in  being  thus  again  thrown  upon  their  own 
resources,  and  it  was  at  this  time  that  he  began  to 
form  the  plan  which  resulted  in  a  movement  from 


532     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

which  many  have  subsequently  benefited.  Securing 
the  services  of  his  friend  and  former  fellow-curate, 
the  Rev.  Henry  Fyffe,  as  master  of  the  school,  he 
collected  the  scattered  boys  of  the  former  S.  Barna- 
bas' choir  and  established  this  little  colony,  with 
Fjrffe  at  its  head,  at  Lovehill  House,  Langley 
Marish,  near  Windsor.  Here,  in  order  that  the 
choral  traditions  of  S.  Barnabas'  should  not  be 
broken,  a  private  chapel  was  fitted  up  in  which 
choral  service,  in  the  regular  Cathedral  manner,  was 
performed  twice  daily,  until  the  church  and  col- 
legiate buildings  which  Ouseley  had  determined  to 
erect  at  his  own  cost  near  Tenbury,  as  a  school  for 
choristers,  were  ready  for  the  reception  of  their 
inmates.  During  his  curacy  at  S.  Barnabas',  Ouseley 
generously  defrayed  all  expenses  connected  with  the 
choir  and  music.  Full  Cathedral  service  was  cele- 
brated twice  every  day  in  the  beautifully  appointed 
chancel,  the  regular  staff  being  reinforced  by  some 
of  the  members  of  the  choirs  of  S.  Paul's  and  West- 
minster Abbey.  The  organ,  built  by  Flight  and 
Robson,  was  the  gift  of  Sir  Frederick. 

During  the  year  185 1  Ouseley  made  a  lengthy 
continental  tour,  visiting  Spain,  Italy,  Germany, 
Switzerland,  France,  and  Holland  ;  making  friends 
with  organists  and  musical  abbes ;  examining  and  try- 
ing organs  and  collecting  rare  Church  music.  At 
Rome  he  met  the  Abbe  Fortunato  Santini,  who  had  a 
fine  library  of  music  of  the  Palestrina  school,  from 
which  he  was  enabled  to  make  copious  transcriptions.* 

On  his  return,  Ouseley  settled  down  at  Langley 
and  began  to  be  busied  with  plans  for  his  permanent 

*  Santini's  library  is  now  in  the  Episcopal  Palace  at  Minister, 
Westphalia. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    533 

choristers'  college.  In  1852  he  bought  an  estate 
at  the  Old  Wood,  situated  on  a  high  tableland 
in  the  midst  of  most  picturesque  scenery,  two  miles 
from  the  quiet  little  Worcestershire  market-town 
of  Tenbury.  On  3  May,  1854,  the  foundation-stone 
of  the  church  was  laid. 

The  period  from  1851  to  1856  was  an  active  one 
in  Ouseley's  life.  Amid  the  superintendence  of  his 
school  at  Langley  and  affairs  at  Tenbury  he  found 
time  for  several  compositions  of  considerable  mag- 
nitude. In  1853  he  wrote  his  fine  anthem,  "  And 
there  was  a  pure  river,"  for  the  baptism  of  the 
daughter  of  his  colleague,  the  Rev.  Henry  Fyffe. 
In  the  same  year  he  published  two  volumes  of 
Cathedral  music  :  one,  a  collection  of  his  own  ser- 
vices and  anthems,  composed  up  to  that  time  ;  the 
other,  a  selection  of  services  by  English  masters  of 
the  sixteenth,  seventeenth,  and  earlier  eighteenth 
centuries,  to  which  allusion  has  frequently  been 
made  in  former  chapters  of  this  History.  The 
volume  of  his  own  compositions  comprised  five 
complete  Services  in  A  major,  B  minor,  E  major, 
E^,  and  G  major,*  with  three  sets  of  anthems — 
principally  short  ones — dedicated  to  his  friends, 
A.  Trevor  Crispin  (many  years  of  H.M.  Treasury), 
Captain  E.  J.  Ottley,  and  the  Rev.  Henry  Fyffe. 
These  compositions  were  eagerly  welcomed  on 
their  publication,  and  formed  valuable  acquisi- 
tions to  the  music  libraries  of  every  cathedral  in 
England. 

The  Service  in  E  major  was  written  by  Ouseley 

*  The  services  in  A  and  G  had  been  previously  published  in  a 
collection  edited  between  1841  and  1849  by  Dr.  William  Marshall, 
organist  of  Christ  Church  Cathedral,  Oxford. 


534     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

in  1847  while  he  was  living  with  his  mother  and 
sisters  at  39  Lowndes  Street.  He  submitted  the 
MS.  score  to  Vincent  Novello,  who,  in  a  letter  to 
Sir  Frederick,  dated  3  May,  1848,  observed  : — 

"  It  appears  to  me  to  be  written  in  the  genuine 
Church  style,  both  as  to  melody  and  harmony  ; 
and  the  entire  production  would,  in  my  estimation, 
do  honour  to  the  skill  and  experience  of  any  of  our 
best  composers  of  the  c  good  old  English  School, 
which  I  consider  the  finest  of  all  for  dignified  sim- 
plicity, appropriate  solidity  of  harmony,  and  im- 
pressively grand  solemnity,  in  the  style  of  its  sterling 
Church  music.  You  have  done  perfectly  right,  I 
think,  to  take  these  glorious  ancient  musicians  as 
your  model  in  your  writings  for  ecclesiastical  pur- 
poses." 

Novello  much  wished  to  insert  the  service  in  his 
Cathedral  Choir  Book,  then  in  course  of  publication. 
This,  however,  was  not  done,  Ouseley  having  a 
volume  of  his  own  in  contemplation.  Many  of  the 
anthems  in  this  same  volume  were  written  by 
Ouseley  during  his  continental  tour  in  185 1.  In 
this  way,  "  I  will  magnify  Thee  "  (dedicated  to  the 
Rev.  Sir  William  Cope)  was  written  at  Frankfort- 
on-Maine,  and  "  O  God,  wherefore  art  Thou 
absent  ?  "  at  Venice.  "  Haste  Thee,  O  God,"  and 
"  How  goodly  are  thy  tents  "  were  composed  at 
Milan,  the  latter  on  viewing  the  Cathedral  by 
moonlight ;  "  I  know  that  the  Lord  is  great," 
"  O  how  plentiful,"  "  O  love  the  Lord,  all  ye  His 
saints,"  and  "  Thy  mercy,  O  Lord,"  were  inspired 
by  Cologne  ;  while  the  set  of  six  dedicated  to 
Captain  Ottley  was  written  at  Rome. 

In  1854  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley  took  his  degree  of 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    535 

Doctor  in  Music  at  Oxford.*  His  exercise  was  the 
oratorio  T^he  Martyrdom  of  S.  Polycarp,  which,  on 
its  approval  by  the  Professor  of  Music,  Sir  Henry  R. 
Bishop,  was  performed  before  a  crowded  audience 
in  the  Sheldonian  Theatre.  On  this  occasion  the 
band  and  chorus  consisted  chiefly  of  the  composer's 
personal  friends  in  the  University,  and  the  solo 
parts  were  sung  by  Miss  Dolby,  Mr.  (now  Dr.)  W.  H. 
Cummings,  Mr.  (now  the  Rev.)  John  Hampton,  and 
Mr.  Weiss.  The  work  was  published  in  full  score 
by  Novello.  Two  of  the  numbers  are  still  popular 
— the  spirited  march,  and  the  graceful  trio  for 
sopranos,  "  In  the  sight  of  the  unwise." 

In  April,  1855,  the  Professorship  of  Music  became 
vacant  by  the  death  of  Sir  Henry  Bishop.  The 
appointment  rested  with  the  Proctors,  and  through 
one  of  them — J.  M.  Holland,  of  New  College,  a 
good  musician — it  was  conferred  on  Sir  Frederick 
Ouseley,  not  only  as  being  in  every  way  thoroughly 
qualified  by  his  unrivalled  musical  attainments, 
whether  viewed  as  a  performer  or  a  composer,  but 
as  having  a  qualification  possessed  by  no  other  candi- 
date, quite  independently  of  his  rank  and  social 
position,  which  would  give  additional  prestige  to 
the  office,  in  the  fact  that  he  was  also  a  Master  of 
Arts  and  a  member  of  Convocation  of  the  Univer- 
sity. Ouseley's  zeal  and  influence  gradually  worked 
a  change  as  to  the  regard  in  which  music  was  held 
in  this  ancient  seat  of  learning.  But  he  had  many 
prejudices   to  fight  against.     His  own  Dean  (Dr. 

*  Ouseley  received  the  degrees  of  Doctor  in  Music  (ad  eundem) 
at  Durham  in  1856,  at  Cambridge  in  1868,  and  at  Dublin  in  1888. 
He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.D.  at  Cambridge  in  1883, 
and  the  same  at  Edinburgh  in  the  following  year. 


536     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

Gaisford)  told  him  that  it  was  unbecoming  for  a 
man  in  his  position  to  present  himself  for  exami- 
nation in  music  in  the  University.  His  acceptance 
of  the  Professorship  removed  this  contumely  and 
raised  the  standard  of  the  degrees.  Hitherto  any  one 
seeking  the  Mus.D.  degree  had  only  to  inscribe  his 
name  as  a  nominal  member  of  some  college,  send  in 
a  choral  or  an  orchestral  thesis,  which  was  invariably 
accepted,  pay  a  band  for  its  performance,  and  take 
rank  as  an  Oxford  Doctor.  Ouseley  instituted  a 
public  examination  by  three  competent  examiners 
in  historical  and  critical  knowledge  of  music,  and  in 
elementary  classics  and  mathematics,  demanding 
also  from  each  candidate  a  lengthy  written  com- 
position to  be  submitted  to  himself.  The  stringency 
of  the  test  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  its  early 
application  fifty  per  cent  of  the  candidates  failed, 
not  a  few  of  the  plucks  being  a  judgment  on  "cribbed 
exercises,"  which  Ouseley's  immense  knowledge  en- 
abled him  to  expose.* 

"  I  remember,"  says  the  Rev.  W.  Tuckwell,  in 
his  entertaining  book,  Reminiscences  of  Oxford 
(1900),  "  how  the  Professor,  kindest-hearted  of  men, 
suffered  in  inflicting  rejections.  He  was  beset  by 
piteous,  even  tearful,  appeals  or  by  fierce  expostula- 
tions ;  had  sometimes  to  escape  into  a  friend's  house 
from  imploring  remonstrants  who  chevied  him  in 
the  streets  ;  but  he  kept  conscientiously  to  the  line 
he  had  drawn,  with  the  result  that  in  a  few  years' 
time  the  Oxford  Doctorate  came  to  be  estimated  as 

*  A  certain  exercise  was  one  day  brought  before  him,  as  an 
examiner,  to  pass.  It  was  not  bad  enough  to  reject,  and  he  was  on 
the  point  of  passing  it,  when  he  recognized  it  as  an  indifferent 
movement  in  the  indifferent  oratorio,  Russell's  Job, 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    537 

it  had  never  been  before.  His  lectures  owed  popu- 
larity to  the  practical  illustration  of  them  on  the 
organ  or  piano  by  his  friend  Mr.  Parratt,  and  to  the 
volunteer  assistance  of  a  well-coached  vocal  and 
instrumental  band.  So  at  last  Queen  Calliope  came 
down  from  Heaven  and  made  a  home  in  Oxford. 
I  am  told  that  she  abides  there  still ;  that  Ouseley's 
white  and  crimson  mantle  fell  upon  a  worthy  Elisha, 
whose  advent  to  S.  Paul's  has  been  hailed  by  the 
innocent  quatrain  : — 

S.  Paul's  had  a  loss 
In  Mr.  J.  Goss  ; 
I'm  sure  it's  a  gainer 
In  Dr.  J.  Stainer ; 

that  by  his  promotion  to  the  vacant  Chair,  Oxford 
was  a  gainer  in  her  turn  ;  that  if  Sir  Frederick 
Ouseley  made  music  respectable  in  the  University, 
Sir  John  Stainer  hasjnade  it  beloved."* 

The  power  of  granting  degrees  honoris  causd 
possessed  by  the  University  was  revived  in  Ouseley's 
days,  and  would  doubtless  have  been  exercised  to 
a  still  greater  extent  had  he  possessed  all  the  power 
to  nominate  the  recipients  which  he  was  supposed 
to  possess  by  the  outer  world.  In  November,  1856, 
a  new  Music  Statute  was  put  into  full  play,  with  its 
staff  of  Professor,  Choragus,  and  Corypheus  or  Pre- 
centor. Ouseley  at  once  began  a  course  of  Lectures 
— a  phenomenon  which  had  not  been  witnessed  in 
Oxford  for  many  years.  The  Choragus  (Dr.  Stephen 
Elvey,  organist  of  New  College),  set  to  work  in 
earnest  to  form  a  weekly  class  for  the  practice  of 
vocal  music,  when  he  and  the  Corypheus  (Dr.  C.  W. 
Corfe,  organist  of  Christ  Church),  with  another 

[*  These  words  were  written  shortly  before  Sir  John  Stainer's 
lamented  death,  March  31,  1901.] 


538     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

class,  worked  alternately.  The  classes  were  at  first 
extremely  popular,  and  dons  and  tutors  might  be 
seen  poring  over  the  same  part-book  with  their 
undergraduate  pupils  ;  but  as  the  novelty  of  the 
thing  wore  off  they  gradually  came  to  nothing,  and 
the  "  Societates  jam  privatim  constitutae  "  of  the 
Music  Statute  (i.e.  the  Amateur  Club,  the  several 
glee  clubs,  and  the  Plain  Song  Society)  supplied  the 
academics  with  as  much  music  as  they  either  cared 
for  or  could  find  time  for. 

Sir  Frederick  Ouseley  was  an  example  of  a  Pro- 
fessor enjoying  ample  private  means,  so  that  the 
paltry  salary  and  fees  then  attaching  to  the  office 
did  not  affect  him.  Indeed,  so  large-hearted, 
generous,  and  devoted  was  he  to  the  art  he  so  loved, 
that  no  doubt  the  cost  of  the  illustration  of  the 
lectures  he  gave  from  time  to  time  and  various 
other  expenses  more  than  swallowed  up  all  the 
emoluments  he  received. 

On  Trinity  Sunday,  1855,  Ouseley  was  ordained 
priest  by  Bishop  Hampden.  Shortly  afterwards  the 
Bishop,  doubtless  in  appreciation  not  only  of 
Ouseley's  acknowledged  eminence  as  a  musician, 
but  of  the  disinterested  work  and  mission  which  he 
was  just  bringing  into  his  own  diocese,  appointed 
him  to  the  Precentorship  of  Hereford  Cathedral. 
No  more  fitting  appointment  could  possibly  have 
been  made  ;  but  whereas  the  office  had,  up  to  this 
time,  been  endowed  with  a  sum  of  ^500  a  year,  not 
one  of  its  occupants  had  discharged  one  particle  of 
its  duty  for  at  least  a  century,  or  been  qualified  to 
discharge  it ;  it  was  now,  under  the  operation  of 
the  Cathedral  Act  of  1840,  to  present  the  edifying 
spectacle  of  an  entirely  disendowed  stall,  just  when, 


SECOND   HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    539 

for  the  first  time  perhaps  from  its  foundation,  it 
was  occupied  by  a  man  not  only  anxious,  but  in 
every  way  qualified  to  make  such  a  post  a  reality. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley 
wrote  his  great  Service  in  C  major.  This  is  for  a 
double  choir,  of  eight  real  parts,  throughout,  and 
comprises  not  only  a  setting  of  the  Office  of  Holy 
Communion — Kyrie,  Credo,  Sanctus,  and  Gloria  in 
Excelsis  —  but  of  every  canticle  at  Matins  and 
Evensong — Venite,  Tie  Deum,  Benedicite,  Benedictus, 
Jubilate  ;  Magnificat,  Nunc  Dimittis,  Cantate  Do- 
mino, and  Deus  Misereatur :  a  feat  of  composition 
undertaken  by  no  other  English  composer  either 
before  or  since.*  The  Venite,  it  should  be  observed, 
is  in  seven  real  parts  only,  a  Gregorian  Tone  in 
octaves,  forming  a  canto  fermo  in  every  verse.  A 
greater  part  of  this  service  was  sung  at  the  re- 
opening of  Hereford  Cathedral  on  30  June,  1863. 
The  Communion  Service  was  used  at  the  Jubilee 
Commemoration  of  S.  Michael's  College,  Tenbury, 
on  29  September,  1906  ;  and  certain  other  portions 
of  this  sonorous  and  imposing  piece  of  worship 
music  have  been  long  in  use  at  Durham,  York, 
Norwich,  Lichfield,  and  King's  College,  Cambridge. 
The  service  has  never  been  printed,  and  not  more 
than  four  scores  of  the  complete  work  are  known 
to  exist. 

Soon  after  his  appointment  to  two  offices  so  con- 

*  The  nearest  approach  was  made  by  J.  L.  Hatton  (1809-18 86), 
whose  Service  in  E  major,  for  four  voices,  includes  all  the  move- 
ments set  by  Ouseley,  with  the  exception  of  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis. 
The  Service  in  Bb,  by  Dr.  John  Smith,  of  Dublin  (1 795-1 861), 
may  be  said  to  come  next.  It  contains  all  except  the  Venite^ 
Benedicite^  and  Gloria  in  Excelsis. 


540     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

genial  to  him  as  those  at  Oxford  and  Hereford, 
Ouseley  was  enabled,  by  the  completion  of  his 
church  and  college  at  Tenbury,  to  enter  on  the  life 
and  residence  to  which  he  had  most  especially  been 
looking  forward.  On  Monday,  29  September,  1856, 
the  buildings  at  Tenbury  were  consecrated,  with  a 
grand  ceremonial,  by  Bishop  Hampden,  who  had 
all  along  been  most  kind  and  cordial,  approving  of 
Ouseley's  scheme  in  every  way.  At  the  same  time 
a  parochial  district  was  assigned,  which  included 
portions  of  the  parishes  of  Leysters,  Tenbury,  and 
Middleton-on-the-Hill.  Thus  S.  Michael's  Church 
became  parochial  as  well  as  collegiate.  Ouseley  not 
only  endowed  the  college,  but  also  the  living,  pro- 
viding a  good  vicarage  house  and  parochial  school. 
He  then  became  first  Warden  of  the  college  and 
Vicar  of  the  parish.* 

To  conceive  a  project  of  this  kind,  to  carry  it 
successfully  out,  to  conciliate  opposition,  to  do  it 
all  at  the  right  time — this  was  an  act  of  happy 
daring  that  none  but  a  great  mind  was  capable  of. 
But  Ouseley  brought  to  the  task  higher  qualifica- 
tions than  mere  musical  knowledge — a  heart  that 
was  full  in  tune,  and  a  soul  that  was  penetrated 
through  and  through  with  the  noblest  ideas  of 
Christian  worship. 

Henry  Woodyer,  a  pupil  of  William  Butterfield, 
was  the  architect  commissioned  by  Ouseley  to  build 
his  church  and  college.    Noted  among  the  late  Mr. 

*  The  Foundation  consists  of  a  Warden  and  Precentor,  twenty 
Honorary  Fellows,  a  Head  Master,  an  Assistant  Master,  an 
Organist  and  Music  Master,  a  Librarian,  a  Bursar,  five  Lay  Clerks, 
a  Sacristan,  eight  Choristers,  and  eight  Probationers.  The  Visitor 
is  the  Bishop  of  Hereford. 


SECOND   HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    541 

Woodyer's  works  are  the  exquisite  group  of  buildings 
and  chapel  of  the  Convalescent  Home  at  East- 
bourne ;  the  House  of  Mercy  at  Clewer ;  the 
church  of  the  Holy  Innocents  at  Highnam,  near 
Gloucester  ;  the  parish  church  of  Dorking  ;  and 
his  restoration  of  the  fine  five-aisled  church  of 
S.  Helen,  Abingdon. 

S.  Michael's  has  been  described  as  "  the  one  real 
development  of  the  aesthetic  principle  that  England 
is  yet  able  to  boast  :  emphatically  one  of  the  love- 
liest architectural  efforts  of  the  19th  century — the 
chef-d'oeuvre  of  an  architect  pre-eminently  capable 
of  grasping  the  spirit  of  the  middle  ages."  This 
description  may  be  somewhat  overdrawn,  but  few 
can  pass  S.  Michael's  Church  and  College,  springing 
up  suddenly  as  they  do  in  this  sequestered  spot,  with- 
out delight  and  admiration.  Sir  Frederick  dearly 
loved  his  picturesque  estate,  so  tranquil  and  so 
beautiful ;  and  well  he  might.  Looking  round,  one 
involuntarily  recalls  his  exquisite  setting  of  the 
words,  "  How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  O  Jacob,  and 
thy  tabernacles,  O  Israel !  As  the  valleys  are  they 
spread  forth,  as  gardens  by  the  river's  side." 

The  church — a  cathedral  in  miniature — is  cruci- 
form in  plan,  of  goodly  proportions,  and  noble 
height.  It  is  rich  in  carving  in  wood  and  stone, 
and  also  in  stained  glass.  The  organ,  by  the  cele- 
brated builder,  Henry  Willis,  is  an  instrument  of 
great  sweetness  and  power.  A  picturesque  cloister 
connects  the  church  with  the  college,  whose  build- 
ings comprise  the  Warden's  lodgings  ;  a  dining-hall, 
which  might  suffice  for  a  small  college  in  one  of 
the  Universities  ;  a  library,  rooms  for  the  masters, 
school  and  class-rooms,  and  a  spacious  dormitory  : 

2    N 


542     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

every  provision  being  made,  in  fact,  for  the  com- 
fort of  the  inmates  that  care  and  kindness  could 
foresee  and  secure. 

Full  choral  service  is  held  twice  daily  in  Term 
time  at  9  a.m.  and  6  p.m.,  when  the  music  is  selected 
and  the  whole  performed  according  to  the  best 
Cathedral  traditions. 

The  object  of  this  foundation,  as  set  forth  in  the 
printed  Statutes,  is  "  to  prepare  a  course  of  train- 
ing, and  to  form  a  model  for  the  choral  service  in 
these  realms  ;  and  for  the  furtherance  of  this  object 
to  receive,  educate,  and  train  boys  in  such  religious, 
secular,  and  musical  knowledge  as  shall  be  most 
conducive  thereto."  An  erroneous  impression  exists 
that  S.  Michael's  is  merely  a  school  of  music.  Cer- 
tainly it  was  Ouseley's  primary  desire  to  train  up 
boys  for  Holy  Orders  by  a  sound  public  -school 
preparatory  education,  combined  with  thorough 
Church  teaching,  and  who  would  add  to  this  course 
such  musical  knowledge  as  would  extend  and  im- 
prove the  tone  of  Church  music  throughout  the 
land.  Stress,  however,  must  be  laid  upon  the  fact 
that  many  boys  on  leaving  the  school,  at  the  break- 
ing of  their  voices,  have  either  gained  scholarships 
or  taken  good  places  at  the  great  public  schools, 
including  Eton,  Harrow,  Winchester,  Charterhouse, 
S.  Paul's,  Marlborough,  Uppingham,  Shrewsbury, 
Bradfield,  Radley,  and  Derby,  and  that  they  have 
proceeded  thence  to  the  Universities,  and  are  now 
filling  responsible  positions  not  only  in  the  Church, 
but  also  in  the  Army  and  Navy  and  many  other 
departments  of  life.  The  ecclesiastical  part  of 
Ouseley's  scheme  comprises  a  foundation  for  eight 
choristers  (the  sons  of  gentlemen),  to  which  boys 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    543 

are  admitted  as  vacancies  occur,  after  having  served 
as  probationers,  whose  number  is  also  limited  to 
eight.  On  their  election  the  choristers  receive  their 
education,  board,  and  lodging  gratuitously  in  all 
respects.  The  probationers  are  chosen  by  the 
Warden  after  a  competitive  trial  of  voice  and  ear, 
and  they  receive  their  education  at  an  almost 
nominal  cost.  Certain  boys  called  Commoners,  not 
exceeding  sixteen  in  number,  are  admitted  to  be 
educated  with  the  choristers  and  probationers  on 
considerably  higher  terms.  These  boys  are  subject 
to  the  same  rules  and  statutes  of  discipline  as  the 
choristers,  saving  only  in  the  matter  of  musical 
education.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  it  is  by  no 
means  necessary  that  a  boy  should  be  musical  to 
become  a  scholar  here,  the  ordinary  classical  educa- 
tion being  provided  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  if  a 
boy  has  musical  proclivities  he  has  great  advantages, 
not  the  least  being  the  frequent  opportunities 
afforded  of  contact  with  men  of  the  highest  musical 
ability.  It  was  this  part  of  the  scheme  which  was 
one  of  Ouseley's  special  objects  in  spending  no  small 
proportion  of  his  substance  in  providing  this  beauti- 
ful church  and  college,  which  are  now  fulfilling 
their  purpose. 

Although  S.  Michael's  is  only  one  of  those  numer- 
ous and  splendid  instances  of  wealth  ungrudgingly 
bestowed  by  the  sons  and  daughters  of  England's 
Church  to  make  her  "  all  glorious  within  "  during 
the  last  sixty  years,  it  is  an  almost  unique  one  in 
which  a  Christian  gentleman  has  devoted  his  re- 
markable talents,  his  personal  attention,  and  his 
worldly  substance  to  her  service  with  so  unstinted 
a  hand.    "  This  is  the  first  school  of  the  kind  estab- 


544     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

lished  since  the  Reformation,"  once  remarked  his 
friend,  Canon  Rich,  to  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley. 
Curiously,  the  thought  had  never  struck  the  Founder 
before. 

At  the  period  of  his  taking  up  his  work  at  Oxford, 
Hereford,  and  Tenbury,  Ouseley  was  recognized  as 
one  of  the  first  Church  composers  of  the  day,  and 
as  such  was  frequently  requested  to  compose 
anthems  for  choral  festivals  and  other  special  occa- 
sions. In  this  way  his  noble  anthem,  "  It  came  even 
to  pass,"  was  written  for  the  reopening  of  Lichfield 
Cathedral  on  22  October,  1861,  when  it  was  sung 
by  980  voices.  Then  for  the  choral  festival  held  in 
Peterborough  Cathedral  in  June,  1863,  he  com- 
posed "  Behold  now,  praise  the  Lord,"  and  for  the 
reopening  of  Hereford  Cathedral  on  the  30th  of  the 
same  month,  "  Blessed  be  Thou,  Lord  God  of 
Israel,"  both  being  for  a  double  choir.  In  1865 
he  wrote  a  festival  anthem,  "  Sing,  O  daughter  of 
Sion,"  for  the  meeting  of  the  Norfolk  and  Suffolk 
Church  Choral  Association  ;  and  in  1884,  "  One 
thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord,"  for  a  similar 
gathering  of  choirs  in  Tewkesbury  Abbey,  not  long 
after  its  splendid  restoration  under  Sir  Gilbert 
Scott.  His  last  composition  of  this  kind  was  an 
anthem,  "  It  is  a  good  thing  to  give  thanks,"  com- 
posed for  the  Salisbury  Choral  Union  and  performed 
at  their  festival  in  Salisbury  Cathedral  on  6  June, 
1889,  by  3000  singers,  with  full  band  and  organ. 
All  these  anthems  are  remarkable  compositions,  very 
original  in  form,  and  admirably  adapted  for  per- 
formance by  a  large  body  of  singers  of  varied  capa- 
bilities ;  contrast  being  secured  in  certain  cases  by 
the  alternate  use  of  a  grand  chorus,  either  in  unison 


SECOND  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY    545 

or  in  four-part  easy  harmony,  by  a  select  choir, 
the  parts  for  which  are  sometimes  treated  in  eight 
real  parts,  sometimes  in  four,  and  frequently  by 
melodious  and  effective  quartetts.  Special  pains 
were  taken  by  Sir  Frederick  with  the  orchestration 
of  his  anthem  for  the  Salisbury  festival.  Unfortu- 
nately he  did  not  live  to  hear  it.  The  accompani- 
ments were  scored  for  a  very  large  band  of  brass, 
wood-wind,  and  strings,  with  organ  obbligato.  The 
result  at  the  service  was  very  fine,  the  contrast 
between  the  large  body  of  voices,  supported  by 
such  a  band  with  organ,  and  the  quartett  which  the 
anthem  contained,  accompanied  by  strings  (pizzi- 
cato) and  harp,  being  especially  striking,  and  not 
soon  forgotten  by  those  who  heard  it.  Two  more 
anthems,  orchestrally  treated — "  Give  thanks,  O 
Israel,"  and  "  In  Jewry  is  God  known,"  both  clever 
and  effective  compositions — were  written  by  Ouseley 
in  1886,  primarily  for  his  own  Commemoration 
Festivals  at  Tenbury. 

It  is  interesting  to  compare  Ouseley's  later 
Church  music — which,  without  the  sacrifice  of 
dignity  and  religious  repose,  became,  to  a  certain 
extent,  tinctured  with  emotion  and  modern  feeling 
— with  that  produced  during  the  earlier  part  of  his 
career.  In  these  earlier  works  we  perceive  an 
analogy  to  the  works  of  the  old  Italian  masters 
— Leo,  Carissimi,  Clari,  Colonna,  Durante,  and 
others  of  that  school,  which  Ouseley  so  much 
admired  for  their  purity  and  elevation  of  thought, 
and  in  which  he  was  so  learned.  Altogether, 
the  religious  tone  and  earnestness  of  Ouseley's 
Cathedral  music,  joined,  as  this  is,  to  so  much 
that  is  modern  in  style,  gives  it  a  devotional  char- 


546     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

acter  that  must  be  apparent  to  all  who  can  reflect 
and  can  judge. 

In  1 86 1  Ouseley  supplied  a  want  long  felt  by 
editing  a  volume  of  anthems  by  distinguished  living 
composers,  appropriate  to  the  special  Seasons  and 
Festivals  of  the  Church.  This  was  published  by 
Cocks  and  Co.,  of  New  Burlington  Street,  but  soon 
afterwards  the  copyrights  and  plates  were  acquired 
by  Novello.  The  book  was  dedicated  to  the  Rev. 
John  Jebb,  d.d.  Those  who  contributed  composi- 
tions, of  various  degrees  of  length  and  elaborateness, 
were  Henry  Leslie,  W.  B.  Gilbert,  S.  S.  Greatheed, 
John  Stainer,  John  Goss,  E.  J.  Hopkins,  L.  G.  Hayne, 
Richard  Haking,  Henry  E.  Havergal,  Charles  Steg- 
gall,  Herbert  Oakeley,  O.  Wintle,  W.  Sterndale 
Bennett,  Philip  Armes,  George  B.  Allen,  G.  J. 
Elvey,  J.  B.  Dykes,  and  Ouseley  himself.  Several  of 
these  contributions  have  long  been  recognized  as 
classics  in  our  cathedrals  and  churches.  Here  first 
appeared  Leslie's  "  Blow  ye  the  trumpet,"  Stainer's 

The  morning  stars  sang  together,"  Goss's  "  Blessed 
is  the  man  "  and  "  In  Christ  dwelleth,"  Steggall's 
"  God  came  from  Teman,"  Sterndale  Bennett's 
"  O  that  I  knew  where  I  might  find  Him,"  Armes' 
"  Give  ear,  O  ye  heavens,"  Allen's  "  Listen,  O 
isles,"  Elvey's  "  O  praise  the  Lord  of  Heaven  " 
(written  for  the  opening  of  S.  Michael's  Church, 
Tenbury,  1856),  Gilbert's  "  God  is  gone  up,"  and 
Dykes'  "  These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great 
tribulation."  Ouseley's  own  contributions  included 
"  From  the  rising  of  the  sun  "  and  "  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  "  (both  written  at  Langley,  30  January,  1855), 
"  Why  standest  Thou  so  far  off  ?  "  "  Unto  Thee 
will  I  cry,"   "  Is  it  nothing  to  you  ?  "  "  Awake, 


SECOND   HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    547 

thou  that  sleepest,"  "  Christ  is  risen,"  and  "  The 
Lord  is  King."  Ouseley  found  it  impossible  to  in- 
clude in  the  space  of  this  volume  all  the  necessary 
anthems  to  form  a  complete  work.  Several  of  the 
Saints'  Days  still  remained  unsupplied,  and  anthems 
were  required  for  such  occasions  as  the  consecrations 
of  churches,  baptisms,  confirmations,  marriages,  and 
so  forth.  Accordingly  he  determined  to  collect 
materials  for  a  second  volume  which  should  supply 
these  defects,  and  he  was  further  encouraged  to  do 
so  by  the  excellent  reception  accorded  to  its  prede- 
cessor. This  second  volume  made  its  appearance  in 
November,  1866,  several  of  the  original  contributors 
being  represented.  Here  we  find  G.  A.  Macfarren's 
"  Wherewithal,"  E.  G.  Monk's  "  Blessed  are  they," 
Barnby's  "  O  Lord  God,  to  Whom  vengeance," 
Stainer's  "  Drop  down,  ye  heavens,"  "  I  saw  the 
Lord,"  and  "  They  were  lovely  and  pleasant," 
Colborne's  "  O  Lord,  our  Governour,"  Steggall's 
"  He  was  as  the  morning  star,"  Sullivan's  "  We 
have  heard  with  our  ears,"  and  Ouseley's  "  They 
that  wait  upon  the  Lord,"  "  I  saw  the  souls," 
"  Who  shall  ascend  ?  "  "  My  song  shall  be  alway," 
and  "  There  was  a  pure  river." 

In  1868  Sir  Frederick  published  a  set  of  eight 
anthems,  dedicated  to  his  friend  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Helmore,  who  for  forty  years  (1846-86)  was  Master 
of  the  Children  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  whose 
name  calls  to  mind  the  early  days  of  the  Catholic 
revival  and  what  he  did  for  the  restoration  of  the 
Church's  ancient  song.  These  anthems,  most  of 
which  are  in  the  short,  full  style,  show  a  decided 
advance  on  the  composer's  ideas,  both  as  regards 
melody  and  harmony,  as  exhibited  in  those  pieces 


548     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

of  a  similar  character  published  in  his  volume  of 
1853 — a  change  altogether  beneficial  to  Church 
music.  Such  anthems,  contained  in  this  volume,  as 
"  All  the  kings  of  the  earth,"  "  Blessed  is  he  whose 
unrighteousness,"  "  Behold,  how  good  and  joyful," 
"  In  God's  Word  will  I  rejoice,"  "  Like  as  the  hart," 
"  O  praise  our  God,  ye  people,"  and  "  Whom  have 
I  in  Heaven  ?  "  will  delight  all  who  make  their 
acquaintance. 

The  warm  reception  accorded  to  this  set  of 
anthems  by  the  musical  press  gave  Ouseley  much 
encouragement-,  and  from  this  time  onwards  he 
continued  to  pour  forth  a  stream  of  anthemic  com- 
positions varying  in  magnitude.  Amongst  the 
shorter  ones  may  be  enumerated  :  "  Except  the  Lord 
build  the  house  "  (1871),  "  Happy  is  the  man  " 
(1871),  "  Hear  my  cry,  O  God  "  (1869),  "  Love  not 

the  world  "  (1869),  "  °  Lord>  Thou  art  m7  God  " 
(1869),  "Rend  your  hearts"  (1869),  "Righteous 
art  Thou,  O  God"  (1869),  "I  will  love  Thee" 
(1870),  and  "  Thou  art  my  portion  "  (1871),  all  of 
them  perfect  little  gems  ;  while  among  those  of 
greater  magnitude  and  elaboration  may  be  placed  : 
"  Ascribe  ye  greatness "  (1871),  "  Great  is  the 
Lord  "  (composed  for  the  reopening  of  the  organ 
at  S.  Michael's  College,  Tenbury,  8  December, 
1868),  "Hear,  O  Lord,  and  have  mercy"  (1876), 
"  I  waited  patiently "  (dedicated  to  the  present 
Warden  of  S.  Michael's,  the  Rev.  John  Hampton), 
"  O  sing  unto  God,"  "  Sing  unto  the  Lord  "  (1871), 
and  "  The  Lord  shall  roar  out  of  Zion  "  (1871),  the 
three  last  being  elaborate  festival  anthems.  All  the 
longer  anthems  in  this  list  were  elaborately  scored 
by  their  composer  for  a  full  band  and  organ.     To 


A    PAGE    FROM    THE    AUTOGRAPH    FULL    SCORE    OF    OUSELEV'S 
FESTIVAL    ANTHEM,    -THE    LORD    IS    KING." 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY    549 

this  period  also  belong  a  Communion  Service  in  C, 
in  simple  four-part  harmony  (1866),  a  Complete 
Morning,  Communion,  and  Evening  Service  in  F, 
mostly  in  eight  parts  and  scored  for  orchestra  (1867), 
and  an  Evening  Service  {Magnificat  and  Nunc 
Dimittis)  in  B?  (12  December,  1867).  An  Evening 
Service  in  C,  a  Morning,  Communion,  and  Evening 
Service  in  D,  a  Morning  and  Communion  Service 
in  F,  and  another  Communion  Service  in  F,  written 
in  continuation  of  Bernard  Gates'  Morning  Service 
in  the  same  key,  are  unpublished.  The  three  first 
were  composed  by  Ouseley  during  his  undergraduate 
days.  His  setting  of  the  Seven  O's — the  antiphons 
to  the  Magnificat  on  the  seven  days  before  Christ- 
mas, beginning  with  O  Safientia — is  said  to  have 
been  a  composition  of  singular  beauty.  Unfortu- 
nately the  music  was  never  published,  and  no 
manuscript  copy  can  now  be  traced.  Similar  set- 
tings were  written  by  Sir  John  Stainer  and  the  late 
Dr.  Philip  Armes,  of  Durham.  The  "  Graces," 
written  by  Ouseley,  in  four-  and  five-part  harmony, 
for  use  before  and  after  the  luncheon  held  in  the 
Hall  on  the  days  of  the  solemn  Dedication  and 
Commemoration  of  the  College,  are  probably  the 
finest  things  of  their  kind. 

Before  proceeding,  three  more  anthems  should 
not  be  overlooked.  These  are  "  O  praise  the  Lord 
with  me"  (1863),  "The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd" 
(1864),  anc^  "  O  Saviour  of  the  world,"  for  a  double 
choir,  without  accompaniment  (1865). 

In  1873  Ouseley  wrote  his  second  oratorio,  Hagar. 
This  was  produced  at  the  Festival  held  in  that 
year  at  Hereford.  It  was  subsequently  performed 
at  one  of  the  famous  Crystal  Palace  Saturday  Con- 


550     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

certs  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  (afterwards  Sir) 
August  Manns.  It  contains  some  delightful  num- 
bers, especially  the  tenor  solos — "  Fear  not,  I  am 
thy  shield  "  and  "  Walk  before  Me  "  ;  the  choruses, 
"  His  seed  shall  endure  "  and  "  The  angel  of  the 
Lord  "  ;    and  the  chorale,   "  Jerusalem  on  high." 

Other  choral  works  written  by  Ouseley  on  a  large 
scale  were  three  odes  :  (i)  "  Let  tears  fall  down," 
on  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  scored  for 
a  full  orchestra,  1852  ;  (2)  a  Peace  Ode  after  the 
Crimean  War,  for  soprano  solo,  five-part  chorus,  and 
orchestra,  1855  ;  (3)  "  Now  let  us  praise  our  famous 
men,"  for  soprano  solo,  five-part  chorus,  and  or- 
chestra, the  words  by  Sir  Francis  H.  Doyle,  Bart., 
b.c.l.,  Professor  of  Poetry,  sung  in  the  Sheldonian 
Theatre,  at  the  Encaenia,  June,  1870,  on  the  first 
visit  of  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury  as  Chancellor  of 
the  University. 

In  1874  Ouseley  published  his  selection  from  the 
sacred  compositions  of  Orlando  Gibbons,  already 
described,  in  connection  with  that  composer,  in  one 
of  our  earlier  chapters.  This  work  involved  im- 
mense labour  and  research,  as  any  well-informed 
Church  musician  may  readily  imagine.  In  1882  he 
edited  Purcell's  Masque  in  iimon  of  Athens  for  the 
Purcell  Society,  being  the  third  volume  of  the 
publications  of  that  body.  His  Psalter,  pointed  for 
chanting,  with  a  collection  of  chants,  edited  in  con- 
junction with  Dr.  E.  G.  Monk,  has  gone  through 
several  editions  since  its  original  issue  in  1862.  As 
illustrations  to  his  Oxford  lectures,  he  scored,  and 
subsequently  lithographed,  much  music  of  interest, 
including  Blow's  anthem,  Salvator  Mundi,  and 
several  motetts  by  Spanish  composers  of  the  six- 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    551 

teenth,  seventeenth,  eighteenth,  and  nineteenth 
centuries. 

Besides  Church  music,  Ouseley's  compositions  in- 
clude voluntaries,  sonatas,  preludes,  and  fugues  for 
the  organ  ;  music  for  a  full  orchestra,  such  as 
overtures  and  marches  ;  string  quartetts  ;  songs, 
glees,*  madrigals,  and  part  songs.  His  part  song, 
"  War,  Wine  and  Harmony,"  to  words  by  German 
Reed,  is  for  twelve  voices,  and  was  written  at 
Cambridge  as  an  eirlSei^ig  of  what  Oxford  could 
do.  His  songs  include  a  set  of  six,  for  Sunday  use, 
published  by  Novello  in  1871,  the  poetry  by  the 
Rev.  Richard  Wilton,  Canon  of  York  and  Rector  of 
Londesborough,  and  of  which  it  may  be  said  that 
both  words  and  music  breathe  an  elevation  of 
thought  and  feeling  beautifully  expressed.! 

To  Churchmen  Ouseley  is  endeared  by  his  tunes 
to  such  hymns  as  "  The  radiant  morn  hath  passed 
away,"  "  Thou,  Whose  Almighty  Word,"  "  They 
come,  God's  messengers  of  love,"  and  "  Praise  the 
Lord,  His  glories  show,"  all  published  in  the  various 
editions  of  Hymns :  Ancient  and  Modern. 

His  treatises  on  Harmony ;  Counterpoint,  Canon, 
and  Fugue ;  Musical  Form  and  Composition,  pub- 
lished by  the  Clarendon  Press,  are  valuable  con- 
tributions to  musical  literature,  and  have  taken  their 
places  as  standard  works  on  the  various  subjects  of 
which  they  treat.  To  Grove's  Dictionary  of  Music 
and    Musicians    he    contributed    several    learned 

*  An  unpublished  set  of  twelve  glees  was  written  in  July  and 
August,  1844. 

f  The  words  of  these  six  songs  were  subsequently  printed  by 
Canon  Wilton  in  his  collected  poems,  Wood  Notes  and  Church 
Bells,  1873. 


552     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

articles.  He  read  valuable  papers  before  the 
Musical  Association,  of  which  he  became,  in  1874, 
the  first  President,  and  as  a  speaker  at  several 
Church  Congresses  he  was  always  welcomed  by 
reason  of  his  lectures  illustrated  by  choral  ex- 
amples. One  of  his  later  literary  undertakings 
was  an  edition  of  Praeger's  translation  of  Nau- 
mann's  History  of  Music.  To  that  work  were 
added  some  important  chapters  on  English  music 
from  his  pen. 

Sir  Frederick  Ouseley,  as  a  musician,  was  un- 
doubtedly endowed  with  extraordinary  abilities. 
Like  Sir  Robert  Stewart,  his  mnemonic  powers  were 
astonishing,  and  his  skill  in  extempore  playing  upon 
the  organ  and  pianoforte  unequalled.*  "  I  know," 
once  remarked  Sir  Herbert  Oakeley,  "  of  very  few 

*  Dr.  T.  L.  Southgate  supplies  an  interesting  instance  of  Sir 
Frederick's  marvellous  memory.  "  We  were  discussing,"  he  says, 
"  the  question  of  dancing  as  a  part  of  Church  public  worship,  and 
I  read  Sir  Frederick  a  letter  received  from  a  friend  in  Abyssinia 
who  told  me  that  there  they  still  danced  *  before  the  Lord '  as  it  is 
recorded  David  did.  *  Oh  ! '  said  Ouseley,  with  a  smile,  *  I  have 
seen  that  much  nearer  home.  In  1 8  5 1  I  went  to  Spain  for  a  tour, 
and  on  a  special  high  day  I  saw  a  solemn  fandango  danced  in  front 
of  the  high  altar  at  Seville  ;  and  this  was  the  music  it  was  danced 
to.'  He  then  went  to  the  piano,  and  played  the  movement,  a 
delicate  little  piece,  quite  Spanish  in  tone,  with  the  exception  of  a 
peculiar  use  of  the  chord  of  the  Italian  sixth.  I  asked  him 
whether  that  was  correct,  and  expressed  astonishment  that  he 
should  have  remembered  this  piece  heard  but  once,  some  thirty-six 
years  ago.  *  Quite  right,'  he  replied,  *  I  thought  that  chord  would 
startle  you  ' ;  and  then  he  continued,  *  If  I  thoroughly  give  my  mind 
to  receive  a  piece  of  music,  I  generally  succeed  in  mastering  and 
never  after  forget  it.'"  In  1861  he  played  to  the  Rev.  John 
Hampton,  the  present  Warden  of  S.  Michael's,  entirely  from 
memory,  the  greater  part  of  Beethoven's  Septett  which  he  had  only 
once  heard,  in  Rome,  ten  years  before. 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    553 

published  fugues  for  the  organ  by  Englishmen  better 
than  some  of  his  improvisations." 

A  former  Cathedral  Precentor  writes  :  "  Ouseley 
was  about  the  best  extemporizer  of  a  fugue  in 
England.  When  in  a  good  vein  his  playing  was 
absolutely  magnificent.  I  remember  particularly 
one  extempore  fugue,  played  after  the  last  service 
in  Summer  Term  at  S.  Michael's,  I  think  either  in 
1883  or  1885,  which  was  quite  one  of  the  most 
sublime  things  I  ever  heard  ;  a  fugue  in  which 
every  variety  of  contrapuntal  artifice  was  employed, 
followed  by  a  Coda  of  extraordinary  power — so,  one 
would  imagine,  J.  S.  Bach  played." 

Besides  the  organ,  Ouseley  could  perform  well  on 
many  instruments,  and  knew  the  peculiarities  of 
those  he  played  upon  so  as  to  get  unusual  and  even 
humorous  effects  from  them.  "  Often,"  relates  the 
late  Mr.  W.  A.  Barrett,  Mus.B.,  "when  he  had 
concluded  a  difficult  solo,  or  at  the  end  of  a  graceful 
trio  or  a  classical  sonata,  the  buoyancy  of  his  spirits 
was  elevated  to  such  a  degree  that  they  could  only 
be  reduced  to  their  level  by  a  little  exhibition  of 
pleasantry.  Thus,  keeping  the  violoncello  in  hand 
when  he  had  finished  his  part,  and  the  music  was 
ended,  he  would  startle  his  hearers  with  the  per- 
formance of  an  eccentric  fantasia,  such  as  '  The  pigs' 
march,'  accompanied  by  extraordinary  grimaces, 
probably  wrung  from  his  musical  sensibility  by  the 
hideous  sequence  of  sounds  such  as  the  animals 
might  be  supposed  to  utter  under  the  influence  of 
compulsory  rhythmical  progress." 

Intense  application  in  everything  he  undertook 
was  Ouseley's  characteristic.  He  had  a  considerable 
gift  for  mathematics,  and  was  an  excellent  linguist. 


554     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

Next  to  music,  he  took  the  greatest  delight  in 
preaching,  in  which  he  was  both  animated  and 
eloquent.  Busy  as  he  was,  he  was  always  ready  to 
preach  sermons  at  choral  festivals  and  organ  open- 
ings ;  it  was  a  metier  in  which  he  took  especial 
pleasure,  and  right  well  he  carried  out  this  duty. 
Having  an  exceptionally  clear  and  logical  mind,  he 
was  enabled  to  make  deep  subjects  plain  to  the 
simplest  people.  Another  qualification  was  his  clear 
and  high-pitched  voice. 

His  hospitality  was  boundless,  and  all  who  had 
any  interest  in  music,  architecture,  literature,  or  edu- 
cation were  welcome  under  his  roof  at  S.  Michael's 
College.  As  a  priest,  he  was  as  active  and  zealous 
among  the  cottage  folk  of  his  scattered  country 
parish  as  he  was  when  a  young  man  in  deacon's 
orders,  ministering  to  the  poor  in  the  populous 
district  of  S.  Barnabas.  Always  full  of  the  very 
spirit  of  his  office,  he  needed  not  the  presence  of  a 
large  congregation  to  excite  his  imagination  and  to 
rouse  his  flagging  energies.  It  mattered  not  to  him 
whether  he  was  officiating  in  Hereford  Cathedral 
before  hundreds  of  worshippers,  or  leading  the 
praises  of  his  small  but  highly  trained  choir  at 
S.  Michael's,  with  its  week-day  congregation  of 
perhaps  half  a  dozen.  Use  never  seemed  to  blunt 
his  reverence  for  holy  things  and  holy  places. 
Time  did  not  diminish  his  keen  relish  for  holy 
words  of  prayer  and  praise.  To  him  a  service  was 
always  a  service,  and  not  a  mere  cut-and-dried 
musical  performance.  Having  been  brought  up  in 
his  early  days  in  the  very  highest  society  in  the 
land,  he  was  a  very  charming  companion.  His 
schoolboys  idolized  him,  as  did  all  who  were  associ- 


SECOND  HALF  OF   19TH  CENTURY    555 

ated  with  him  in  his  college  work.  The  most 
marked  feature  of  his  life  was  the  self-sacrifice  with 
which  he  carried  out  his  plan  of  building  the  church 
and  college  of  S.  Michael's.  A  most  loyal  and  de- 
voted member  of  the  Church  of  England,  he  formed 
the  impression,  when  still  a  youth,  and  at  a  time 
when  not  many  would  have  got  beyond  the  idea 
of  taking  the  pleasures  and  enjoyments  of  life  as 
they  came,  that  the  skill  which  had  been  given  him 
in  the  art  of  music  might  best  be  made  promotive 
of  the  glory  of  God  by  raising  an  institution  that 
should  provide  training  in  music  and  give  encourage- 
ment to  its  study,  as  well  as  to  provide  illustration 
of  what  he  conceived  to  be  its  best  and  fullest  de- 
velopment as  applied  to  the  worship  of  the  Church. 
From  the  day  when  S.  Michael's  was  first  founded 
Ouseley's  sole  object  always  seemed  to  be  to  enrich 
the  church  and  college  at  his  own  expense.  Indeed, 
it  was  always  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  he 
could  be  persuaded  to  get  any  luxuries  or  comforts 
for  himself. 

In  his  Life  of  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley — one  of  the 
best  pieces  of  ecclesiastical  biography  produced  in 
modern  times — the  Rev.  F.  W.  Joyce*  propounds 
this  question  :  "  What  would  have  been  the  future 
of  Sir  Frederick's  institution,  and  of  his  own  career, 
had  he  built  the  church  and  college  near  London, 
as  was  at  one  time  proposed,  or  at  least  within 
easier  reach  of  some  larger  centre  ?  "  He  answers  : 
"  Some  of  his  friends  strongly  urged  him  to  do  this 
and  he  did,  indeed,  at  the  outset,  make  a  definite 
proposal  to  found  his  establishment  near  Oxford  ; 
butJBishop  Wilberforce,  who  had,  at  that  time, 
*  Since  1897,  Vicar  of  Harrow-on-the-Hill. 


556     ENGLISH    CATHEDRAL    MUSIC 

been  driven  into  a  condition  of  extreme  caution, 
felt  constrained  to  decline  the  offer  of  one  whose 
name  had  been  so  closely  connected  with  S.  Barna- 
bas, Pimlico."  Possibly,  had  the  importunities  of 
Ouseley's  friends  prevailed,  the  success  of  S. Michael's 
as  "  a  paying  concern  "  (so  to  speak)  might  have 
been  more  pronounced  ;  but  there  were  cogent 
reasons  in  favour  of  the  rural  against  the  academical 
site,  and  they  prevailed. 

Throughout  his  self-denying  life  Ouseley  had 
given  to  the  Church,  for  even  the  modest  endow- 
ment of  the  vicarage  of  S.  Michael's,  with  its 
parochial  school,  was  his  own  gift.  He  had  sunk 
.£40,000  in  the  college,  and  had  spent  £2000  a  year 
on  its  sustenance.  In  the  last  three  years  of  his  life 
he  received  the  one  acknowledgment  of  his  self- 
sacrifice  in  the  canonry  of  Hereford,  to  which  he 
was  appointed  in  1886,  in  succession  to  his  life-long 
friend  Dr.  Jebb,  the  learned  liturgiologist.  To  most 
of  his  friends  this  honour  seemed  to  be  a  very 
modest  recognition  of  his  powers  and  of  his  work 
for  the  Church.  It  is  probable  that  he  did  not  live 
to  put  a  farthing  of  the  income  of  the  stall  into  his 
pocket.  All  was  absorbed  in  rebuilding  his  ruinous 
residentiary  house. 

At  S.  Michael's  College  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley 
formed  a  musical  library,  said  to  be  one  of  the  most 
valuable  and  extensive  private  collections  in  the 
kingdom.  It  is  preserved  en  bloc  in  its  original  place 
in  the  Warden's  lodgings.  To  enumerate  its  trea- 
sures would  take  up  too  much  space.  It  numbers 
over  two  thousand  volumes.  Perhaps  its  greatest 
treasure  is  the  copy  of  The  Messiah,  partly  in  the 
handwriting  of  Handel  and  partly  in  that  of  his 


SECOND  HALF  OF   i9th  CENTURY    557 

amanuensis,  John  Christopher  Smith.  This,  known 
as  the  Dublin  MS.,  was  used  by  the  great  composer 
as  a  "  conducting  score  "  for  the  first  performance 
of  the  work  at  Dublin  on  13  April,  1742.  The  con- 
nection of  this  score  of  The  Messiah  with  the  Irish 
capital  is,  indeed,  a  very  intimate  one,  for,  after 
enriching  it  with  memoranda  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance, and  using  it  at  many  public  performances, 
Handel  himself  presented  it  to  the  Musical  Society 
established  in  Dublin.  Not  long  after  Handel's 
death  it  was  sold  to  Mr.  Ottley.  This  gentleman 
bequeathed  it  to  his  nephew,  the  late  Captain 
Ottley,  and  finally  it  was  given  by  the  Captain  to 
his  friend,  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley.  The  library  at 
Tenbury  is  extremely  rich  in  Church  music  of  the 
Palestrina  school,  mostly  transcribed  by  Ouseley 
from  the  valuable  collection  of  the  Abbate  Santini 
at  Rome,  in  1851.  Here  also  are  to  be  found  the 
rare  collections  of  Spanish,  Italian,  and  Flemish 
Church  music  printed  by  Eslava,  Alfieri,  and 
Proske,  as  well  as  all  the  volumes  of  Cathedral 
music — original  and  selected — published  in  England 
by  Croft,  Greene,  Boyce,  Hayes,  Arnold,  Page, 
Rimbault,  Novello,  and  other  editors  and  com- 
posers. Thomas  Tomkins'  Music  a  Deo  Sacra,  pub- 
lished in  five  separate  part-books  in  1668,  and 
Adrian  Batten's  MS.  "  Organ  Book  " — a  work  of 
great  utility  in  scoring  old  English  Church  music 
where  separate  parts  are  missing — are  also  here.  A 
great  feature  of  the  collection  is  a  quantity  of  music 
from  the  old  Palais  Royal  Library  at  Paris,  with  the 
Royal  Arms  of  France  stamped  on  the  binding  of 
the  volumes.  These  consist  mainly  of  operas, 
vaudevilles,  etc.,  by  Lully,  Colasse,  Destouches, 
2  o 


558      ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

and  others,  entirely  in  manuscript.  Many  of 
Ouseley's  autograph  full  scores  are  preserved — 
splendid  specimens  of  penmanship.  The  collection 
of  ancient  and  modern  musical  treatises,  in  a  variety 
of  languages,  is  probably  unique.  The  earliest  and 
rarest  of  these  is  that  of  Gaffurius,  published  at 
Naples  in  1480. 

The  general  Library  at  S.  Michael's  is  worthy  to 
rank  beside  many  of  those  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge. 
The  books,  which  reach  from  floor  to  ceiling  of  the 
finely  proportioned  room,  were  collected  by  Sir 
Frederick  and  his  father.  The  great  features  of  the 
library  are  French  and  Oriental  books,  the  latter 
bearing  mostly  on  the  literature  of  Persia.  Other 
subjects,  such  as  history,  topography,  archaeology, 
ornithology,  the  classics,  and  divinity  are  equally 
well  represented.  Sir  Frederick  always  felt  keen 
delight  in  showing  the  treasures  of  his  two  libraries 
and  in  discoursing  upon  them.  Like  Dean  Burgon, 
his  bright,  quick  eye  took  in,  at  a  glance,  the  real 
or  the  pretended  listener. 

During  Ouseley's  later  years  the  financial  future 
of  his  college,  owing  to  his  reduced  income,  was  a 
source  of  considerable  anxiety  to  him.  More  than 
once  his  good  friend  and  neighbour,  the  Hon.  Miss 
Georgina  Rushout,  of  Burford  House — sister-in-law 
of  the  present  Lady  Northwick — who  had  always 
taken  the  deepest  interest  in  the  church  and  college, 
stepped  into  the  breach,  and  rendered  him  timely 
and  generous  assistance.  Eventually,  but  after  Sir 
Frederick's  death,  this  lady,  in  1890,  left  a  legacy 
of  .£20,000,  supplementary  to  the  Founder's  own 
benefactions  and  the  Ouseley  Memorial  Fund,  and 
thus  the  future  maintenance  of  the  college  on  its 


SECOND   HALF  OF   i9th   CENTURY    559 

original  lines  has  been  assured.  Other  instances  of 
Miss  Rushout's  munificence  towards  the  college 
may  be  here  adduced,  such  as  the  magnificent 
Eucharistic  plate  and  altar  vestments,  the  painted 
windows  of  the  choir,  as  well  as  many  valuable  and 
extensive  additions  to  the  already  well-stocked 
library.  When,  in  1852,  her  sister,  Miss  Harriet 
Rushout,  died,  she  left,  among  other  charitable 
legacies,  one  of  £600  towards  the  foundation  then 
in  course  of  projection  by  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley. 

Sir  Frederick  Ouseley  died,  after  a  sudden  and 
painful  attack  of  heart  disease,  on  Saturday,  6  April, 
1889.  This  sad  event  occurred  at  Hereford,  where 
he  was,  at  the  time,  keeping  his  residence  as  Canon. 
Thus  England  lost  one  of  her  noblest  sons,  and  the 
diocese  of  Hereford  one  of  her  most  distinguished 
men.  When  he  was  buried  on  the  following 
Thursday,  short  as  was  the  notice,  no  less  than 
twenty-one  of  those  who  had  been  boys  under  his 
care  at  Tenbury,  or  in  the  schools  which  preceded 
it  at  S.  Barnabas',  Pimlico,  and  at  Langley  Marish, 
followed  him,  among  a  huge  concourse,  to  his 
resting-place  in  the  beautiful  churchyard  of  S. 
Michael's.  His  tomb,  beneath  the  east  window  of 
the  church,  consists  of  a  block  of  polished  red 
granite,  on  which  lies  a  cross  of  white  marble,  sup- 
ported at  the  ends  by  four  small  pillars  cut  out  of 
the  granite.  It  was  subscribed  for  by  fifty  of  his 
friends,  and  was  designed  by  Sir  Aston  Webb,  who 
has  recently  restored  the  church  of  S.  Bartholomew, 
Smithfield,  with  such  conservative  ability.  Other 
memorials  are  a  mural  cross  of  brass  in  S.  Michael's 
Church  itself,  the  gift  of  the  parishioners,  and  a  fine 
stained-glass  window  in  the  Cathedral  at  Hereford. 


560     ENGLISH   CATHEDRAL   MUSIC 

There  are  two  interesting  portraits  of  Sir  Frede- 
rick Ouseley  at  S.  Michael's  College,  Tenbury.  One 
hangs  in  the  dining-room  of  the  Warden's  lodgings, 
and  represents  Ouseley  as  a  child  of  seven  or  eight 
years  old,  playing  on  the  pianoforte.  It  was  painted 
by  John  Lucas  {c.  1833),  and  was  exhibited  at  the 
Royal  Academy  in  1835.  The  other  adorns  the 
College  Hall.  It  is  a  full-length  portrait,  and  shows 
Sir  Frederick  at  the  age  of  thirty-one,  in  his  Mus.D. 
robes,  as  the  newly  appointed  Oxford  Professor.  It 
was  presented  by  the  Warden  and  Fellows  of  Radley 
College  early  in  1857,  the  artist  being  W.  Florio 
Hutchinson  (d.  1876),  a  pupil  of  Fuseli,  and  sub- 
sequently drawing  master  at  Radley. 

A  third  portrait  is  in  the  new  Music  School  at 
Oxford.  It  was  painted,  after  Ouseley's  death,  by 
Mr.  Arthur  Foster,  partly  from  memory  and  partly 
from  a  good  photograph.  It  also  represents  the 
Professor  in  his  robes,  but  at  the  age  of  about  sixty, 
and  was  the  gift  of  a  small  committee  of  Ouseley's 
personal  friends  in  Oxford  to  the  collection  of 
musicians'  portraits  at  that  University.  The  where- 
abouts of  a  fourth  portrait  does  not  seem  to  be 
known.  It  was  painted  in  1841,  when  Ouseley  was 
between  fifteen  and  sixteen  years  old,  by  James 
Joyce,  cousin  to  the  Vicar  of  Dorking  of  the  same 
name,  and  who  afterwards  became  Vicar  of  Strat- 
fieldsaye.  There  also  exists  a  life-sized  bust  of  Sir 
Frederick,  modelled  in  clay  by  one  of  his  Hereford- 
shire friends,  Mr.  H.  J.  Bailey,  of  Rowden  Abbey, 
near  Bromyard.  As  it  is  a  pleasing  likeness,  a  good 
reproduction  of  it  in  marble  will,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
some  day  grace  the  Hall  or  the  Library  of  S.  Michael's 
College. 


APPENDIX 

Page  i.  Edward  VI's  First  Prayer  Book.— This  was  ordered  to  be  used 
for  the  first  time  on  Whitsun  Day,  9  June,  1549. 

Page  2.  Seventeenth  Century  settings  of  the  Litany. — These  composi- 
tions by  William  King  and  Henry  Loosemore  form  part  of  complete  ser- 
vices. King's  service  in  B?  was  edited  some  sixty  years  ago  by  John 
Bishop  of  Cheltenham.     Loosemore's  in  D  minor  has  not  been  printed. 

Page  13.  The  Motett  Society. — This  was  a  body  formed  in  London  in 
1841,  for  the  revival  of  sacred  music  in  general,  and  that  of  the  great 
masters  preceding  the  seventeenth  century  in  particular.  The  members 
of  the  Society  were  exclusively  Churchmen.  A  choir  met  weekly  for  the 
practice  and  study  of  these  compositions,  and  seven  or  eight  public  per- 
formances were  held  each  season,  until  1845,  when  they  were  discontinued 
from  lack  of  funds.  In  1846,  however,  the  choir  was  re-established  under 
the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Helmore,  and  in  1852  the  objects  of  the 
Society  were  warmly  espoused  by  the  Ecclesiological  Society.  A  union  of 
the  two  was  formed,  and  the  Society  flourished  for  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
years.  After  William  Dyce,  the  founder,  one  of  the  most  active  members 
was  the  Rev.  T.  M.  Fallow,  who  was  the  first  incumbent  of  S.  Andrew's, 
Wells  Street,  in  1847.  He  only  survived  the  consecration  of  his  church 
a  few  months.  Some  of  the  short  anthems  composed  on  ancient  models 
by  the  Rev.  Sir  F.  A.  Gore  Ouseley  and  the  Rev.  S.  S.  Greatheed  were 
frequently  interspersed  with  the  works  of  Colonna,  Croce,  Di  Lasso, 
Gabrielli,  Nanini,  Palestrina,  Vittoria,  Barcroft,  Byrd,  Gibbons,  Redford, 
Stonard,  Tallis,  Tye,  and  others,  sung  at  the  various  meetings.  The  pub- 
lications of  the  Society — seventy-nine  in  number — were  edited  by  E.  F. 
Rimbault.  They  were  originally  issued  by  Chappell,  but  in  1851  the 
plates  were  purchased  by  Novello,  by  whom  copies  are  still  sold. 

Page  14.  Day's  Service  Book. — Scores  of  Causton's  Venite,  and  his 
two  Communion  Services  ;  of  Whitbroke's  Offertory  Anthem  ;  and  of 
Heath's  Communion  Service,  were  put  together  in  a  MS.  volume,  from 
Day's  part  books,  by  the  Rev.  John  Jebb,  D.D.,  and  by  him  presented,  in 
1859,  to  the  Rev.  Sir  F.  A.  Gore  Ouseley,  for  his  library  at  S.  Michael's 
College,  Tenbury.  Jebb  contributed  an  interesting  account  of  this  volume, 
together  with  a  disquisition  on  the  now  obsolete  form  of  setting  the  Venite 
service-wise,  to  The  Ecclesiologist,  February,  1862. 

Page  SI.  The  collection  of  MS.  Church  Music  at  S.  Peter's  College, 
Cambridge. — This  collection  is  fully  described  by  Dr.  Jebb  in  the  Preface 
to  his  Catalogue  of  the  same,  printed  in  The  Ecclesiologist,  June  and 
August,  1859.  See  also  Mr.  Henry  Davey's  History  cf  English  Music t 
99,  252,  308. 

Page  25.  Christopher  Tye.— Until  Mr.  G.  E.  P.  Arkwright  published 
his  edition  of  Tye's  Euge  Bone  Mass  in  1893,  our  knowledge  of  the  com- 
poser was  of  a  limited  and  unreliable  description.  In  his  "Biographical 
Memoir,"  prefixed  to  the  music,  Mr.  Arkwright,  one  of  the  most  accurate 
and  painstaking  of  musical  antiquaries,  presents  us  with  a  large  amount 
of  deeply  interesting  information,  gathered  from  the  "Commons,"  and 
"  Mundum"  Books  of  King's  College,  Cambridge  j  the  Treasurer's  Rolls 

561 


562      ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 

of  Ely  Cathedral ;  the  First  Fruits  Composition  Books  of  Cambridgeshire, 
preserved  in  the  Record  Office  ;  the  Certificatorium  Dioceseos  Eliensis,  and 
other  authentic  sources.  The  present  writer  regrets  that  the  limited  space 
at  his  disposal  has  precluded  the  possibility  of  his  availing  himself  more 
fully  of  many  details  first  brought  to  light  by  Mr.  Arkwright's  valuable 
researches.  The  Euge  Bone  Mass  is  published  by  Joseph  Williams,  of 
Berners  Street,  and  James  Parker  &  Co.,  of  Oxford,  as  No.  10  of  "  The 
Old  English  Edition "  Uto).  The  reader  is  strongly  recommended  to 
procure  it,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  the  literary  matter. 

Page  37.  Epitaph  on  Thomas  Tallis. — Tallis'  epitaph  (restored  at 
the  expense  of  Dean  Aldrich  late  in  the  seventeenth  century)  was  set  for 
four  voices  (S.A.T.B.)  by  Dr.  Benjamin  Cooke  and  Dr.  W.  Crotch. 
Cooke's  setting  was  printed  in  Thomas  Warren's  "Seventh  Collection  of 
Catches,  Canons,  and  Glees."  Crotch's  is  unpublished,  and  exists  only  in 
a  large  MS.  collection  of  compositions  by  members  of  the  Harmonic 
Society  of  Oxford,  established  23  August,  1796.  The  three  volumes  con- 
taining these  pieces  are  now  in  the  library  at  S.  Michael's  College, 
Tenbury.     See  also  page  453. 

A  short  elegy  upon  Tallis,  set  by  an  anonymous  composer  (probably 
Byrd),  is  in  the  British  Museum,  additional  MSS.  29401-5,  and  was  pub- 
lished by  Thomas  Oliphant. 

Page  41.  The  Ordinal,  or  Ordering  of  Priests  and  Deacons. — This 
service  was  not  in  Edward  VI's  First  Prayer  Book,  but  was  added  to  the 
revised  book  of  1552.  Of  the  two  versions  of  the  Veni  Creator,  in  our 
present  service,  the  second,  "  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  Eternal  God,"  which  is 
diffuse  and  paraphrastic,  was  alone  found  until  1662,  when  the  first, 
"  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  souls  inspire,"  which  adheres  much  more  closely 
to  the  terseness  of  style  in  the  original,  was  inserted.  The  translation  is 
that  of  Bishop  Cosin. 

Page  48.  Queen  Elizabeth. — A  paraphrase  of  the  fourteenth  psalm  from 
her  pen  has  been  preserved.  This  literary  curiosity  occurs  at  the  end 
of  a  book  entitled  "A  godly  Medytacyon  of  the  Christian  Sowle,  etc.,  com- 
pyled  in  French,  by  Lady  Margarete,  Queene  of  Naverre."  It  was  re- 
printed in  "Select  Poetry,  chiefly  devotional,  of  the  Reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,"  edited  by  Edward  Farr,  for  the  Parker  Society,  in  1845. 

Page  66.  The  Rev.  Sir  William  Henry  Cope,  Bart.,  M. A.— This 
divine  and  musician,  and  altogether  versatile  man,  was  librarian  and  one 
of  the  minor  canons  of  Westminster  Abbey  from  1842  to  1853.  He  was 
also  chaplain  of  Westminster  Hospital.  In  1851  he  unexpectedly  suc- 
ceeded a  very  distant  kinsman  (Sir  John  Cope)  in  the  baronetcy.  This 
put  him  in  possession  of  Bramshill,  Hants,  one  of  the  most  interesting 
nouses  in  England,  standing  in  a  park  of  unequalled  beauty.  His  in- 
heritance at  Bramshill  made  Sir  W.  H.  Cope  Charles  Kingsley's  squire, 
and  a  warm  friendship  sprang  up  between  the  two  ardent,  high-minded, 
and  rather  unconventional  clergymen.  Sir  William  preached  Charles 
Kingsley's  funeral  sermon  at  Eversley  in  1875,  and  all  readers  of  either 
Charles  Kingsley's  poetry  or  Henry  Kingsley's  novels,  must  remember  the 
frequent  allusions  to  Bramshill  and  its  owner,  to  the  beauties  of  its  park 
and  common,  and  to  the  glorious  fishing  which  its  waters  yielded.  Sir 
W.  H.  Cope  was  an  intimate  friend  of  those  two  distinguished  priest- 
musicians,  Thomas  Helmore  and  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley.  When  the 
latter  was  building  his  choristers'  college  (S.  Michael's)  at  Tenbury,  Sir 


APPENDIX  563 

W.  H.  Cope  presented  the  tracery  of  the  west  window  of  the  beautiful 
church.  He  died  at  Lennox  Tower,  Southsea,  7  January,  1892,  aged  80. 
Between  1846  and  185 1  he  edited  many  anthems  by  masters  of  the 
earlier  English  school.  In  1847  he  produced  an  edition  of  Sir  Antony 
Cope's  "Meditations  on  Twenty  Select  Psalms,"  and  in  1883  an 
account  of  the  antiquities  and  architecture  of  Bramshill. 

Page  73.  The  Anglican  Chant. — The  earliest  chants  in  this  form  are 
all  single  ones.  They  came  into  vogue  soon  after  the  Restoration. 
Before  that  period  the  Gregorian  Tones  were  exclusively  employed  for  the 
Psalter.  The  first  single  chants  bear  the  names  of  Aldrich,  Blow, 
Christopher  Gibbons,  Goodson,  Humphreys,  Tucker,  Tudway,  Turner, 
Wise,  and  the  four  Purcells — Thomas,  Henry,  Daniel,  and  Edward. 
Some  of  the  single  chants  bearing  the  names  of  Tallis,  Farrant,  Batten, 
Child,  and  others,  are  known  as  "Tunes,"  while  others  are  merely 
adaptations,  by  modern  editors,  from  various  passages  in  their  composi- 
tions. The  Gregorian  Tones  continued  in  use  for  some  years  after  the 
Restoration,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  introduction  to  Clifford's  Divine 
Services  and  Anthems,  1664.  That  double  chants  existed  anterior  to  the 
specimens  by  Morley  and  Flintoft  we  have  evidence  in  the  compositions 
of  Bat.  Isaac  and  W.  Turner,  printed,  in  1847,  by  the  Rev.  H.  E. 
Havergal  from  MSS.  of  Dean  Aldrich. 

Ibid.  William  Blitheman. — This  musician,  the  master  of  John  Bull, 
is  said  by  Antony  a  Wood  {Fasti,  ed.  Bliss,  i.  235)  to  have  been  master 
of  the  choristers  of  Christ  Church  Cathedral,  Oxford,  in  1564.  He 
became  organist  of  the  Chapel  Royal  in  1585,  and,  in  the  following  year, 
took  the  degree  of  Mus.  B.  at  Cambridge.  He  is  mentioned  by  Stowe  as 
"organist  to  the  Queen's  Chapel."  He  died  on  Whitsun  Day,  1591,  and 
was  buried  in  the  old  church  of  S.  Nicholas  Cole-Abbey.  His  epitaph, 
engraved  on  a  brass  plate,  and  fixed  to  the  north  wall  of  the  chancel,  has 
been  preserved  in  Anthony  Munday's  edition  of  Stowe's  Survey,  161 8, 
p.  675.  There  are  three  motetts  by  Blitheman  in  the  British  Museum 
(Addl.  MSS.  17,  802-5). 

Page  80.  Henry  Eveseed  and  Orlando  Gibbons. — The  injuries  which 
Gibbons  received  in  1620  at  the  hands  of  this  drunken  yeoman  of  the 
vestry  of  the  Chapel  Royal  are  thus  set  forth  in  a  petition  from  the  Sub- 
dean  and  gentlemen  to  the  Bishop  of  Winchester  and  Dean  of  the  Chapel 
Royal  (Lancelot  Andrewes) : — 

"  Uppon  S.  Peter's  day  last,  beinge  the  day  of  our  feast,  unto  which 
were  invited  many  officers  of  the  House  and  other  our  good  friendes,  the 
sayd  Eveseed  did  violently  and  sodenly  without  cause  runne  uppon  Mr. 
Gibbons,  took  him  up  and  threw  him  doune  uppon  a  standard  wherby  he 
receaved  such  hurt  that  he  is  not  yett  recovered  of  the  same,  and  withall 
he  tare  his  band  from  his  neck  to  his  prejudice  and  disgrace.  Then  he 
proceading  from  Mr.  Gibbons  mett  our  fellow  Mr.  Cooke  in  the  chappell, 
wher  he  gave  him  three  blowes  in  the  face,  and  after  that  he  abused  our 
fellows  Mr.  Crosse  and  Richard  Patten,  and  was  not  satisfied  with  those 
abusinges  but  challenged  the  field  of  some  of  them,  which  abuse  did  tend 
to  our  great  discreditt,  contemning  the  Subdeane  or  anything  he  could  say 
or  doe  therin.  He  reported  unto  the  sergeant  that  the  Subdeane  sate  in 
Chapter  as  the  Knave  of  clubbs,  and  the  rest  of  the  company  as  Knaves 
about  him,"  and  much  more  to  the  same  effect.  Upon  the  reading  of  this 
complaint  in  Chapter  at  Hampton  Court,  29  September,  1620,  it  is  satis- 


564      ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 

factory  to  learn  that  "it  pleased  the  Reverend  our  Deane  to  suspend  the 
said  Eveseed  until  the  feaste  of  All  Saintes  following"  {Old  Cheque  Book 
of  the  Chapel  Royal,  pp.  10 1-3). 

Page  120.  S.  Paul's  College. — This  locality  may  now  be  considered  as 
revived  in  the  group  of  houses  (Nos.  4-9)  built,  in  1878,  for  the  six  Minor 
Canons  of  S.  Paul's,  and  adjoining  the  three  Residentiary  Houses,  coeval 
with  the  present  Cathedral,  in  Amen  Court,  Paternoster  Row. 

Page  120  (footnote).  The  Rev.  W.  H.  Milman,  Minor  Canon  and 
Senior  Cardinal  of  S.  Paul's,  Rector  of  SS.  Augustine  and  Faith, 
Watling  Street,  and  Librarian  of  Sion  College,  died,  while  these  pages 
were  passing  through  the  press,  9  June,  1908. 

Page  123.  The  Chapel  Royal.— The  Chapel  Royal,  S.  James's  Palace 
(situated  between  the  Colour  Court  and  the  Ambassadors'  Court),  dating 
from  the  time  of  Henry  VIII,  was  occasionally  used  in  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  centuries,  but  the  service  was  not  regularly  instituted  there 
until  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Constant  reference  is  made 
by  both  Pepys  and  Evelyn  in  their  Diaries  to  the  Chapel  Royal,  but  the 
building  almost  invariably  alluded  to  is  that  at  Whitehall  Palace.  This 
chapel  was  consumed  by  fire,  5  January,  1698,  and  a  new  chapel  opened 
on  9  December  in  the  same  year.  Dr.  Blow  composed  an  anthem,  "  Lord, 
remember  David,"  for  the  occasion.  Formerly,  the  large  establishment  ot 
clerics  and  musicians  attached  to  the  Chapel  Royal  belonged  to  no  fixed 
place,  but  was  bound  to  attend  the  Sovereign  wherever  he  might  be 
resident.  Of  this  ambulatory  service  there  are  proofs  in  records  of  the 
reigns  of  Henry  VIII  and  Elizabeth,  and,  in  later  times,  George  IV  used 
to  command  the  attendance  of  a  certain  number  of  his  choir  at  Brighton. 

Page  129.  The  Grand  Chant. — This  composition,  generally  attributed 
to  Pelham  Humphreys,  is  formed  from  the  Monosyllabic  Mediation  of  the 
eighth  Gregorian  Tone,  and  the  Mediation  of  the  seventh  (see  Rev.  T. 
Helmore's  S.  Mark's  College  Chant  Book,  1863).  There  is  an  arrange- 
ment of  the  Grand  Chant  by  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Havergal,  with  the  melody 
in  the  tenor.  The  music  of  the  Grand  Chant  is  now  usually  associated 
with  the  anthems  appointed  for  use  on  Easter  Day  in  place  of  the  Venite 
Exultemus. 

Page  134.  The  Canon  in  Blow's  Jubilate  in  G. — From  some  verses 
prefixed  to  Blow's  "  Amphion  Anglicus,"  it  appears  that  the  fine  Canon,  to 
which  the  Gloria  Patri  in  the  above  piece  is  set,  had  been  much  admired 
at  Rome  : — 

His  Gloria  Patri  long  ago  reach'd  Rome ; 

Sung  and  rever'd  too  in  S.  Peter's  dome  ; 

A  canon  will  outlive  her  jubilees  to  come. 
That  it  should  have  been  sung  at  Rome  may  seem  strange,  yet  it  is  true  : 
for  some  compositions  of  Blow  and  Purcell  had  been  sent  to  Cardinal 
Howard,  at  his  particular  request,  from  Dr.  Ralph  Battell,  Sub-dean  of 
the  Chapel  Royal.  That  it  was  actually  sung  beneath  "  S.  Peter's  dome  " 
is  open  to  doubt.  It  is,  however,  certain,  that  it  could  not  have  been 
sung  there  in  English.  The  Canon  was  printed  in  the  editions  of  Playford's 
Introduction  to  the  Skill  of  Music,  subsequently  to  the  year  1700. 

Concerning  this  same  Canon,  the  late  Sir  George  Grove  used  to  relate 
the  following  anecdote  in  connection  with  the  visit  of  the  Emperor  of 
Brazil  to  Westminster  Abbey.  A  passing  reference  is  made  to  it  in  Mr. 
R.  E.  Prothero's  Life  of  Dean  Stanley  (vol.  ii.  p.  305)  :— "  The  Emperor 
of  Brazil  was  an  indefatigable  sightseer  while  he  was  in  London.     He  had 


APPENDIX  565 

promised  Stanley  to  go  and  see  the  Abbey  before  he  left  for  America,  but 
unfortunately  he  put  off  his  visit  almost  too  long.  He  arrived  at  the 
Deanery  unexpectedly  about  two  o'clock  one  Sunday  afternoon,  and  said 
that  this  was  his  last  opportunity  before  leaving  ;  could  Stanley  come  and 
show  him  anything  ?  It  was  extremely  inconvenient,  the  matting  and  the 
chairs  were  down  for  the  evening  service  in  the  nave,  and  it  was  only  pos- 
sible, here  and  there,  to  clear  the  way  enough  to  show  him  some  of  the  chief 
brasses  on  the  floor.  After  Stanley  had  done  his  utmost  to  satisfy  his 
curiosity,  the  Emperor  said  most  unexpectedly,  '  Now  I  want  to  see  the 
tomb  of  Dr.  Blow,  a  famous  organist ;  do  you  know  where  it  is  ? '  Yes, 
Stanley  knew,  and  took  the  Emperor  to  the  tomb,  which  is  in  the  north 
aisle,  behind  the  organ.  Standing  before  the  monument,  the  Dean  read 
the  inscription  to  the  Emperor,  and  it  is  said — though  I  will  not  vouch  for 
this — that  the  Emperor  hummed  the  upper  line  of  the  music  which  is 
engraved  on  the  monument.  The  most  jealous  belief  in  the  English 
school  of  music  could  never  have  conceived  that  Dr.  Blow's  fame  could 
have  reached  as  far  as  Brazil. " 

Ibid.  Blow's  Service  in  "  Gamut  Tripla." — In  the  Credo  of  this  Service 
the  music  to  the  words,  "The  Lord  and  Giver  of  life"  (Boyce's  Cath. 
Mus.,  I,  287),  coincides  most  curiously,  note  for  note,  with  a  passage  in  the 
Pastorale  of  Corelli's  Eighth  Concerto.  This  coincidence  is  possibly  due 
to  the  fact  that  both  these  passages  speak  in  the  idiom  of  the  period.  The 
progression  of  bass  and  harmony  were  commonplaces  of  the  late  seven- 
teenth and  early  eighteenth  centuries. 

In  the  Gloria  Patri  to  the  Cantate  Domino  of  Blow's  Service  in  A  major 
(Boyce's  Cath.  Mus.,  I,  222),  the  touching  antiphonal  effect  of  the  Decani 
and  Cantoris  choirs  in  the  passage,  "and  ever  shall  be,"  should  not  pass 
unremarked.  This  is  all  the  more  noticeable,  because  the  Gloria  Patri  is 
commonly  set  for  the  full  choir  throughout.  Blow's  accentuation  of  the 
word  "shall"  is  especially  grand  and  striking.  A  similarly  fine  anti- 
phonal  effect  is  produced  in  the  Gloria  to  the  Benedictus  in  the  services  of 
Patrick,  in  G  minor,  Strogers,  in  the  Dorian  Mode,  and  in  that  of  the 
Magnificat  of  Farrant  in  G  minor.  Several  other  instances  might  be 
adduced. 

There  is  a  portrait  of  Blow,  by  Sir  Peter  Lely,  in  the  dining  hall  of 
S.  Michael's  College,  Tenbury. 

Page  151.  Rev.  William  Tucker,  Precentor  of  Westminster. — Pre- 
centor Tucker  was  a  sound  Church  musician.  Among  his  compositions  is 
a  Service  in  F,  which  contains  a  setting  of  Benedicite  Omnia  Opera,  in  the 
shortened  manner  adopted  by  Purcell,  Blow,  Aldrich,  and  others — that  is 
to  say,  with  the  verses  grouped  into  clauses  or  subjects,  and  the  refrain, 
"Praise  Him  and  magnify  Him  for  ever,"  repeated  only  occasionally. 
This  proceeding  has  been  censured,  but  the  composers  alluded  to  above 
merely  returned  to  the  original  method  of  singing  the  canticle. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Goss  and  Turle,  when  publishing  their  edition 
of  Child's  full  antiphonal  service  in  G,  did  not  give  the  Benedicite.  It 
may  not  be  generally  known  how  many  Benedicite  services  by  eminent 
masters  of  the  seventeenth  and  early  eighteenth  centuries  exist  in  MS.  in 
our  Cathedral  books.  A  fairly  long  list  might  be  printed.  The  existence 
of  such  services  is  a  sufficient  proof  that  Benedicite  was  never  intended  to 
remain  unsung  from  one  year's  end  to  another,  as  was  the  custom  within 
the  memory  of  many  of  us. 


566      ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 

Page  154.  The  fire  at  York  in  1829. — The  choir  of  the  Minster  was 
reopened,  after  this  calamity,  on  6  May,  1832.  Matthew  Camidge  was 
then  the  organist,  much  of  his  duty  being  performed  by  his  son,  Dr.  John 
Camidge,  who  succeeded  to  the  post  in  1842,  and  held  it  until  his  death  in 
1859.  John  Camidge,  father  of  Matthew  Camidge,  was  organist  from 
1756  to  1803.  A  singular  instance  is  thus  afforded  of  three  members  of 
the  same  family  (father,  son,  and  grandson)  holding,  in  succession,  the  post 
of  organist  to  the  same  cathedral  for  more  than  a  century. 

Page  158.  The  Bi-Centenary  of  Purcell's  death.— On  5  December, 
1895,  the  late  Sir  George  Grove  wrote  thus  to  a  friend:  "The  Purcell 
Commemorations  were  very  interesting,  especially  the  Abbey  one.  I 
never  lost  sense  of  its  being  a  service,  and  found  it  very  impressive " 
{Life,  by  C.  L.  Graves,  p.  426).  By  an  admirable  arrangement,  a  service 
or  an  anthem  by  Purcell  appeared  in  the  music-schemes  of  Westminster 
Abbey  once  a  week  throughout  the  year  1895. 

Henry  Purcell's  only  surviving  son,  Edward,  baptized  in  Westminster 
Abbey  6  September,  1689,  subsequently  became  organist  of  S.  Clement's, 
Eastcheap,  and  (in  1726)  of  S.  Margaret's,  Westminster.  He  competed 
twice,  without  success,  for  the  organistship  of  S.  Andrew's,  Holborn, 
formerly  (1713-17)  held  by  his  uncle,  Daniel.  His  death  is  thus  recorded 
in  two  London  newspapers,  The  Daily  Gazetteer  and  The  Daily  Post  of 
2  July,  1740 :  "Yesterday  dy'd  suddenly  Mr.  Pursell  [sic],  Organist 
of  S.  Margaret's,  Westminster,  a  Place  of  50/.  per  ann."  As  a  church 
composer  Edward  Purcell  is  solely  remembered  by  a  single  chant  in 
D  minor. 

Daniel  Purcell,  brother  of  Henry  Purcell,  was  organist  of  Magdalen 
College,  Oxford,  from  1688  to  1695,  and  of  S.  Andrew's,  Holborn,  from 
17 13  until  17 17.  An  Evening  Service  in  E  minor  by  Daniel  Purcell 
was  restored  by  the  late  Sir  John  Stainer,  in  1900,  from  an  old  organ- 
book  in  the  library  of  Magdalen  College,  Oxford.  In  his  Preface  the 
editor  remarks  :  ' '  There  is  in  this  Service  a  quaintness,  not  without 
tenderness  and  devotional  feeling,  which  recalls  the  style  of  the  com- 
poser's brother  Henry,  by  whose  brilliant  career  and  fame  he  was,  no 
doubt,  overshadowed."  Daniel  Purcell  wrote  an  anthem,  "The  Lord 
gave  the  word,"  for  the  Festival  of  the  Sons  of  the  Clergy  at  S.  Paul's 
in  1709.  Of  this  there  is  a  MS.  score  (probably  an  autograph)  at 
S.  Michael's  College,  Tenbury. 

Page  173.  Benjamin  Rogers'  anthem,  "O  pray  for  the  peace  of 
Jerusalem." — This  beautiful  little  composition,  in  the  melodious  and 
perspicuous  style  of  its  author,  was  sung  several  times  during  the  octave 
of  the  consecration  of  the  church  of  S.  Barnabas,  Pimlico  (11-18  June, 
1850),  and  was  repeated  as  a  farewell  anthem,  immediately  before  the 
"Grace,"  on  the  last  evening.  On  this  occasion  Dr.  Pusey  preached 
a  memorable  sermon  to  an  overflowing  congregation. 

Page  182.  Aldrich's  Service  in  A. — The  late  Sir  Robert  Stewart, 
Professor  of  Music  in  the  University  of  Dublin,  and  organist  of  the 
Cathedrals  of  Christ  Church  and  S.  Patrick,  wrote  a  complete  Com- 
munion Service  in  A  in  continuation  of  Aldrich's  Morning  Service.  It  is 
a  very  close  and  clever  imitation  of  Aldrich's  style.  Or  shall  we  say 
of  that  of  Carissimi  ? 

Page  202.     S.  Anne's  Tune. — Other  psalm  tunes  ascribed  to  Croft  are 


APPENDIX  567 

"S.  Matthew's,"  "The  148th"  (Old  Version),  and  "  Hanover,"  all  given 
in  Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern,  as  Nos.  369,  414,  and  431  (edition  of 
1889).  An  article  on  the  three  tunes,  "  S.  Anne's,"  "  S.  Matthew's,"  and 
"  Hanover,"  with  fac-similes  of  the  originals,  contributed  by  Mr.  F.  G. 
Edwards  to  The  Musical  Times  of  June,  1908,  should  be  consulted. 

Page  204.  Croft's  anthem,  "Cry  aloud  and  shout." — This,  the  con- 
cluding chorus  for  five  voices  of  the  anthem,  "O  Lord,  I  will  praise 
Thee,"  was  orchestrated  for  use  at  the  Concerts  of  Ancient  Music  by  the 
conductor,  Thomas  Greatorex,  organist  of  Westminster  Abbey  from  1819 
to  1831.  More  recently  Sir  Frederick  Bridge  has  treated  this  magnificent 
movement  in  a  similar  manner. 

Page  207.  Croft's  Service  in  A. — Robert  Raylton,  organist  of  Canter- 
bury Cathedral  (1736-57),  wrote  a  Morning  and  Evening  Service  in  A 
(unpublished),  whose  style  occasionally  reminds  one  of  the  famous  Morn- 
ing one  by  Croft.  A  setting  of  the  opening  sentences  of  the  Burial 
Service  by  Raylton  is  to  be  found  in  V.  Novello's  collection  of  Purcell's 
Sacred  Music,  Vol.  IV,  and  was  probably  intended  to  precede  the  setting 
by  Purcell  in  the  same  key  (C  minor)  of  the  remaining  Sentences  contained 
in  the  same  volume.  It  should  be  remembered  that  Purcell's  familiar 
music  to  "Thou  knowest,  Lord,  the  secrets  of  our  hearts,"  is  another 
setting  of  the  Burial  Sentences  beginning  with  those  words,  and  was 
written  as  a  funeral  anthem  for  Queen  Mary  II.  Dr.  Croft  was  so  im- 
pressed with  its  beauty  that  he  incorporated  it  into  his  setting  of  the 
Burial  Service  in  preference  to  attempting  to  set  the  same  words  himself. 
"No  one,"  judiciously  observes  Mr.  John  E.  West  in  his  Cathedral 
Organists,  Past  and  Present,  "can  deny  the  deep  feeling  and  solemn 
simplicity  of  the  now  familiar  Croft  and  Purcell  Sentences  ;  but  there  are 
some  really  beautiful  and  characteristic  toushes  in  Purcell's  lesser  known 
and  more  elaborate  settings  in  C  minor  (beginning  at  '  Man  that  is  born 
of  a  woman'),  and  they  deserve,  in  conjunction  with  the  opening  Sen- 
tences by  Raylton  in  the  same  key,  a  more  frequent  hearing." 

Page  217.  Thomas  Barrow. — His  double  chant  in  G  major,  founded 
on  the  melody  of  the  chimes  of  S.  Margaret's,  Westminster,  was  long  a 
favourite,  and  is  still  to  be  found  in  many  collections. 

Page  243.  Autographs  of  John  Travers.  —  In  the  library  of  S. 
Michael's  College,  Tenbury,  is  a  quarto  volume,  containing  ninety-three 
Canons  of  all  species,  composed  by  Travers  between  1732  and  1738,  and 
entirely  in  his  autograph.  Many  of  these  are  set  to  Latin  words.  This 
volume,  before  it  was  purchased  by  Sir  Frederick  Ouseley  in  1856,  be- 
longed successively  to  Dr.  Arnold,  to  William  Russell,  Mus.  B.  (organist 
of  the  Foundling  Hospital,  1801-13,  composer  of  some  good  church 
music,  including  several  well  known  chants),  and  to  a  Mr.  T.  W.  Philipps. 

Page  253.  Greene's  Service  in  C. — Farnham  Castle,  Surrey,  where, 
in  May,  1737,  part  of  this  composition  was  written,  was  then  (as  now)  the 
residence  of  the  Bishops  of  Winchester.  Benjamin  Hoadley  was,  at  that 
time,  the  occupant  of  the  See,  and  his  son,  John  Hoadley,  the  poet  and 
dramatist,  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Greene,  who,  at  the  above  date,  was 
upon  a  visit  at  the  Castle.  A  painting  by  Francis  Hayman  (1708-76) 
represents  Greene  seated,  with  John  Hoadley  standing  by  him.  The 
original  picture  was  in  the  possession  of  the  late  Mr.  J.  Edward  Street, 
for  many  years  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Madrigal  Society,  and  a  repro- 
duction therefrom  was  given  in  The  Musical  Times  of  February,  1903. 


568      ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 

Page  278.  Boyce's  anthems. — In  a  list  of  anthems,  illustrating  Sir 
Frederick  Bridge's  lectures  during  his  recent  Canadian  tour,  and  printed 
in  The  Musical  Times,  No.  785,  not  a  single  composition  by  Boyce  appears. 
Surely  Boyce  was  the  representative  composer  of  his  period.  A  gap  is 
thus  left  between  Greene  and  Attwood. 

Winchester  College  Chapel.  —  The  view  facing  p.  286  shows  the 
interior  as  it  existed  down  to  1874-5,  when,  in  an  evil  hour,  the  college 
authorities  called  in  the  late  William  Butterfield  to  effect  a  "restoration." 
That  thoroughgoing  medievalist  completely  gutted  the  building  of  its 
interesting  Renaissance  furniture,  including  the  Ionic  altar-piece,  the 
stalls  and  wainscotting,  and  the  organ-case,  with  its  "great"  and  "choir" 
cases,  all  executed  in  black  oak  by  Grinling  Gibbons,  and  put  up  by  the 
piety  of  John  Nicholas,  Warden  from  1679  to  I7I I-  With  its  present 
commonplace  organ-case,  choristers'  desks,  and  benches  facing  east, 
instead  of  being  ranged  longitudinally,  the  building  resembles  a  parish 
church  rather  than  the  chapel  of  a  collegiate  foundation.  By  this  re- 
arrangement of  the  seating  accommodation  nothing  was  gained  in  com- 
pensation. The  organ  shown  in  the  view  was  that  on  which  Vaughan 
Richardson,  John  Bishop,  James  Kent,  Peter  Fussell,  Dr.  G.  W.  Chard, 
and  Dr.  S.  S.  Wesley  played.  An  organ-case  of  a  somewhat  similar 
design  was  possessed  by  the  Cathedral  until  1825,  when  it  gave  way  to 
the  present  erection  in  the  "Gothic  taste"  of  that  period,  from  a  design 
of  Edward  Blore. 

Page  302.  William  and  Philip  Hayes. — Mr.  A.  M.  Broadley,  of  Brad- 
pole,  near  Bridport,  a  descendant  of  W.  and  P.  Hayes,  has  made  large 
collections  for  a  history  of  the  Hayes  family.  Mr.  Broadley  is  the  possessor 
of  a  number  of  portraits,  letters,  musical  MSS.,  and  other  relics  relating 
to  the  family,  some  members  of  which,  at  the  present  day,  inherit  its 
musical  traditions.  In  1900  Mr.  Broadley  printed  (for  private  circulation) 
a  catalogue  of  his  most  interesting  collection. 

Page  306.  James  Nares  and  Edmund  Ayrton,  Masters  of  the  Children 
of  the  Chapel  Royal. — In  a  manuscript  book,  "  Musical  Memoranda," 
apparently  written  by  an  organist  of  Lincoln  Cathedral,  about  1785,  and 
now  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Cummings,  is  this  curious  announce- 
ment (p.  16):  "The  children  of  the  C.R.  (8)  made  Dr.  Nares  ^100  a  year 
by  going  out  [to  Concerts]  at  10s.  6d.  each.  He  gave  them  sixpence 
among  them  for  Barley  Sugar.  He  made  of  their  clothes  ^50  a  year." 
Again  (p.  51) :  "  At  S.  James's,  the  boys  complained  of  Dr.  Ayrton,  and 
said  they  were  starved.  The  parents  took  it  up,  and  complained  by  Peti- 
tion to  the  Bishop  of  London,  and  said  that  if  he  did  not  redress  them 
they  would  go  to  the  King.  The  Bishop  made  enquiry,  and  found,  on 
Dr.  Ayrton's  bringing  the  weekly  accounts  of  meat,  that  they  had  very 
sufficient  provision." 

At  the  end  of  these  memoranda  :  "  The  Boys  have  no  Pocket  Money, 
except  the  Christmas  Boxes,  and  what  is  occasionally  given.  The  Christ- 
mas Boxes  formerly  amounted  to  .£30,  now  not  to  £25,  people  saying 
there  is  now  so  little  Choir  service.  When  it  was  ^30,  after  certain 
deductions,  the  Senior  Boys  received  only  £2  7s.  od.  each.  They  paid 
half  a  guinea  to  the  servant  for  a  Christmas  Box,  Blacking  Shoes,  and 
Cleaning  ;  five  guineas  a  year  to  the  barber  for  Sunday  dressing,  which 
was  flour  and  powder,  blue  salt  sometimes." 


APPENDIX  569 

"It  is  difficult"  (says  the  Rev.  Edgar  Sheppard,  who  quotes  these 
11  Memoranda  "  in  his  work  on  S.  James's  Palace)  "  to  understand  the  exact 
meaning  of  the  last  lines,  but  it  would  seem  that  these  boys  were  powdered 
and  '  coiffed '  on  Sundays,  before  attending  the  services  at  the  Chapel 
Royal." 

Page  362. — The  Rev.  Dr.  Fly,  mentioned  on  this  page,  was,  for  sixty- 
three  years,  perpetual  curate,  or  incumbent,  of  Holy  Trinity,  Minories. 
In  1783  he  was  appointed  to  the  seventh  minor  canonry  in  S.  Paul's; 
in  1797  he  was  Junior  Cardinal,  and,  in  1811,  Sub-dean.  In  1797  ne  was 
rector  of  SS.  Augustine  and  Faith,  Watling  Street,  and  in  1821  vicar  of 
Willesden.  He  was  also  perpetual  curate  of  Kingsbury  cum  Twyford, 
one  of  the  Priests  in  Ordinary  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  "  Confessor  to  the 
Household."  Many  of  these  appointments  he  held  simultaneously,  so 
that  he  was  a  pluralist  indeed.  When  the  city  of  London  was  illuminated 
on  the  occasion  of  the  Thanksgiving  for  George  Ill's  restoration  to 
sanity,  23  April,  1789,  Sion  College,  which  then  stood  in  London  Wall, 
put  up  this  motto  from  the  97th  Psalm  in  coloured  lamps:  "Sion  heard 
of  it,  and  rejoiced."  It  is  said  to  have  been  selected  by  Dr.  Fly,  who 
was,  in  the  above  year,  President  of  the  College.  Dr.  Fly  died  in  August, 
1833,  and  was  buried  in  the  crypt  of  S.  Paul's.  It  should  be  explained 
that  the  Confessor  to  the  Royal  Household  had  formerly  a  small  apart- 
ment in  S.  James's  Palace,  and  his  duties  were  to  attend  at  the  early 
eight  o'clock  service  in  the  Chapel  Royal  to  read  prayers,  and  to  ad- 
minister the  Holy  Communion  on  the  appointed  occasions.  He  was  also, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  chaplain  who  now  represents  him,  bound  to  administer 
the  offices  of  religion  to  any  of  the  household  who  might  require  his  ser- 
vices. The  title  of  "  Confessor,"  however,  no  longer  exists,  but  is  changed 
to  that  of  "  Chaplain  at  the  Palace  of  S.  James's,"  and  is  at  the  present 
time  combined  with  that  of  Sub-dean.  The  last  "Confessor"  was  the 
Rev.  Charles  Wesley.     (See  p.  31.) 

Page  406.  Attwood's  Coronation  Anthem  for  William  IV. — In  this 
piece  the  individuality  of  Attwood  is  shown  in  a  very  marked  manner. 
This  is  especially  noticeable  in  the  first  twenty-eight  bars  of  the  chorus, 
which  are  curiously  reminiscent  of  certain  passages  in  the  Service  in  D, 
upon  which  Attwood  was  about  the  same  time  engaged.  The  accompani- 
ments are  for  the  fullest  orchestra  possible.  In  the  introduction  (a  grand 
instrumental  symphony)  is  blended  the  air  "  Rule,  Britannia  !"  given  to  a 
principal  horn  and  trumpet,  forming  an  interior  part,  and  woven  in  with 
the  chief  subject  in  a  manner  at  once  ingenious,  effective,  and  appropriate. 
The  allusion  was,  no  doubt,  to  the  profession  of  the  King  before  he 
ascended  the  throne,  and  the  thought  was  as  happy  as  the  execution  is 
masterly.  This  fine  composition  ends  with  an  Amen  fugue,  on  a  bold 
subject  for  the  basses.  After  the  four  parts  have  successively  taken  this 
up,  four  bars  of  the  national  air  above-mentioned  are  given  to  the  trebles, 
while  the  basses  repeat  as  many  of  the  fugue,  and  afterwards  both  these 
subjects,  together  with  the  chief  motif  of  the  anthem,  are  united  in  a 
manner  no  less  skilful  than  pleasing.  Here  we  find  science  turned  to 
good  account.  There  is  no  pedantry  in  this,  but  real  musical  learning  and 
good  effect,  the  only  use  to  which  such  knowledge  can  ever  be  rationally 
applied.  What  a  contrast  was  this  anthem  to  many  of  those  produced 
under  the  conditions  imposed  by  the  Gresham  Prize  umpires — composi- 
tions written  after  a  style  in  which  Choron  once  hinted  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  invent  anything  original. 


570      ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 

Page  424.  Mendelssohn  at  S.  Paul's. — The  attendance  of  Mendels- 
sohn at  our  Cathedral  services  doubtless  prompted  the  compositions 
of  his  Morning  and  Evening  Services  in  A  and  Bl?.  Both  were  published 
by  Ewer,  of  Newgate  Street,  in  1847,  as  Op,  69.  The  Morning  Service 
( Te  Deum  and  Jtibilate)  speedily  became  a  favourite,  and  was  introduced 
into  the  cathedrals  of  Norwich,  Gloucester,  and  Canterbury.  At  the 
last  named  the  Te  Deum  was  sung  on  the  occasion  of  the  enthronement 
of  Archbishop  Sumner,  28  April,  1848.  A  contemporary  account 
of  the  ceremony  describes  the  Te  Deum  as  "a  very  striking  and  powerful 
composition,  performed  with  great  accuracy  and  effect,  and  with  which 
His  Grace  was  so  much  gratified,  that  he  requested  it  might  be  again  per- 
formed on  the  following  Sunday."  The  remainder  of  the  music  on 
the  same  occasion  comprised  Purcell's  Bcnedicite  in  B?,  Gibbons' 
Benedictus  in  F,  Farrant's  anthem,  "  Lord,  for  Thy  tender  mercies' 
sake,"  and  Tallis'  Litany. 

The  complete  service  was  edited  in  octavo  form  by  the  late  Sir  John 
Stainer  in  1878,  his  text  following  the  German  edition  of  Breitkopf 
and  Hartel.  The  Service  was  reviewed  in  the  The  Musical  Worlds 
soon  after  its  publication  by  Ewer,  as  a  composition  both  masterly  and 
grand,  and  possessing  that  true  religious  suavity  so  characteristic  of 
the  great  composer. 

The  setting  of  the  Responses  to  the  Commandments,  at  one  time 
almost  universally  sung  in  our  churches,  was  originally  adapted  from 
the  passage,  "Open  the  heavens,"  in  Mendelssohn's  Elijah,  by  F. 
W.  Meymott,  of  the  Temple,  who  afterwards  became  a  colonial  judge. 

Page  480.  S.  S.  Wesley,  and  the  organs  at  Exeter  and  Winchester. — 
The  instruments  at  both  these  cathedrals  failed  to  satisfy  Wesley  on  his 
arrival  as  organist.  The  Exeter  organ  was  reopened  on  I  November,  1838, 
after  extensive  additions,  including  a  new  swell  to  gamut  G,  and  a  set 
of  double  diapason  pedal-pipes  to  G.G.G.,  the  24  ft.  pipe.  These  improve- 
ments were  carried  out  by  the  organ-builder,  Gray. 

At  Winchester,  in  1849,  Wesley  found  an  organ  by  Avery,  built  towards 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  replacing  an  earlier  instrument  by 
Father  Smith.  Avery's  organ  was  rebuilt  by  Blyth,  of  Isleworth,  but  it 
by  no  means  accorded  with  Wesley's  ideas  on  "organic"  matters. 
Accordingly,  in  1852,  we  find  him  persuading  the  Dean  and  Chapter  to 
purchase,  for  ^2350,  three-fourths  of  the  fine  organ  by  Henry  Willis, 
which  figured  in  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1851.  In  spite  of  the  opposition 
of  one  of  the  Canons  (Pretyman)  the  amount  was  obtained,  and  on 
3  June,  1854,  the  organ  was  formally  opened.  For  three  centuries, 
at  least,  the  position  of  the  Winchester  organ  has  remained  unaltered,  i.e. 
above  the  stalls,  and  beneath  the  arch  opening  into  the  north  transept. 
When  the  new  organ  was  finished  in  1854,  Wesley  much  wished  to  have 
it  placed  upon  the  choir-screen,  but,  to  his  great  mortification,  his 
proposal  was  unanimously  negatived  by  the  cathedral  authorities.  In 
1898  the  organ  was  entirely  rebuilt  by  Willis,  and  it  now  ranks  as  one  of 
the  finest  cathedral  organs  in  the  kingdom. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    ENGLISH 
CATHEDRAL   SERVICE 


The  subjoined  list  of  books  and  pamphlets — many  of  them  now  scarce — 
has  been  drawn  up  by  the  writer  from  the  copies  on  his  own  shelves. 
Many  were  called  forth,  either  by  the  Parliamentary  legislation  affecting 
our  cathedrals,  or  by  the  attitude  of  capitular  bodies  towards  the  choristers, 
organists,  vicars  choral,  minor  canons,  and  other  members  of  their  musical 
foundations.  The  list  is  confined  to  the  last  century.  As  it  stands,  it  is 
sufficient  to  demonstrate  how  widespread  and  interesting  is  the  study  of 
cathedrals  and  their  music,  and  what  a  wealth  of  material  we  possess  in 
the  bibliography  of  this  special  subject. 

BARRETT  (William  Alexander,  Mus.  B.)— '■'  English  Church  Com- 
posers," 8vo,  1882. 

BARRETT  (W.  A.,  Mas.  B.)— "  Music  in  Cathedrals  "—a  paper  read 
before  the  Musical  Association.     Third  Session  (1876-7). 

BENSON  (Archbp.)— "The  Cathedral  in  the  Life  and  Work  of  the 
Church,"  8vo,  1879. 

BUMPUS  (J.  S. )—  "  Irish  Church  Composers  and  the  Irish  Cathedrals  " 
— two  papers  read  before  the  Musical  Association.  Twenty-sixth  Session, 
1899-1900.    8vo  (pp.  84). 

BUMPUS  (J.  S.)—  "  The  Organists  and  Composers  of  S.  Paul's  Cathe- 
dral," 8vo,  1891. 

[BURGE  (William),  Q.c.]— "On  the  Choral  Service  of  the  Anglo- 
Catholic  Church,"  8vo,  1844. 

DICKSON  (Rev.  W.  E.)— "A  Catalogue  of  Musical  MSS.  in  Ely 
Cathedral,"  8vo,  1861. 

"  Essays  on  Cathedrals,"  by  various  writers.  Edited  by  the  Very  Rev. 
J.  S.  Howson,  d.d.,  Dean  of  Chester,  8vo,  1872. 

GASON  (Adam  F.)— "  A  Short  Treatise  on  the  Defence  of  Cathedral 
Worship,"  i2mo,  Dublin,  1846. 

GOULBURN  (Very  Rev.  E.  M.)— "The  Principles  of  the  Cathedral 
Service  vindicated,  and  enforced  upon  members  of  Cathedral  Foundations," 
8vo,  1870.     A  series  of  sermons  preached  in  Norwich  Cathedral. 

GOULBURN  (Very  Rev.  E.  M.)— "The  Functions  of  our  Cathe- 
drals," 8vo,  1869. 

*[HACKETT  (Maria)]— "A  Brief  Account  of  Cathedral  Schools, 
with  an  abstract  of  their  Endowments,  respectfully  addressed  to  the  Dig- 
nitaries of  the  Established  Church,"  4to,  and  8vo,  1824-73. 

[HACKETT  (Maria)]  —  "A  Voice  from  the  Tomb;  seriously 
addressed  to  all  Etonians  who  reverence  the  memory  of  their  Founder," 
8vo,  1870.  A  pamphlet  on  the  state  of  the  choral  foundation  of  Eton 
College. 

[HACKETT  (Maria)]—" Cathedral  Choristers:  their  Social  Position 
and  Education,"  8vo,  1873. 

571 


572      ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 

*  [HACKETT  (Maria)] — "Correspondence  and  Evidences  respecting 
the  Ancient  Choral  School  attached  to  S.  Paul's  Cathedral,"  with  "An 
Appendix  of  Documents  and  Authorities,"  4to,  1813. 

[Miss  Hackett's  verbatim  notes  of  the  legal  proceedings  instituted  by 
her  against  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  S.  Paul's,  with  regard  to  the  Cathe- 
dral Choristers,  are  in  a  thick  quarto  volume  in  my  possession. — J.  S.  B.] 

♦[HACKETT  (Maria)]  — "Letters  to  the  Bishop  of  London,  the 
Dean  of  S.  Paul's,  and  other  Dignitaries  of  that  Church,  on  the  Present 
State  of  the  Choristers,"  4to,  181 1. 

[Autographs  of  these  letters,  and  indeed  of  almost  the  whole  of  Miss 
Hackett's  correspondence — for  she  invariably  made  copies  of  her  letters — 
extending  from  180S  to  1S74,  are  in  my  possession.  An  epistolary  record, 
truly  !— J.  S.  B.] 

*  [HACKETT  (Maria)]— "  Registrum  Eleemosynarise  D.  Pauli  Lon- 
dinensis"  (printed  from  the  Harleian  MSS.),  4to,  1827.  A  History  of 
the  Almonry,  or  Choristers'  School  of  S.  Paul's. 

[HACKETT  (Maria)]— "  Lord  Henley  and  the  Cathedral  Service." 
A  letter  published  in  The  Harmonicon,  March,  1833,  and  afterwards 
printed  separately. 

HEARTLEY  (Rev.  C.  T.),  Assistant  Curate  at  Kemerton  (1855),  and 
Head  Master  of  S.  Michael's  College,  Tenbury  (1857-62)— "  Our  Cathe- 
drals and  their  mission,"  8vo,  1855. 

JEBB  (Rev.  John,  d.d.)— "  A  Plea  for  what  is  left  of  the  Cathedrals, 
their  Deans  and  Chapters,  their  Corporate  Rights  and  Ecclesiastical 
Utility,"  Svo,  1852. 

JEBB  (Rev.  John,  d.d.)— "The  Choral  Service  of  the  United  Church 
of  England  and  Ireland,  being  an  Inquiry  into  the  Liturgical  System  of 
the  Cathedral  and  Collegiate  Foundations  of  the  Anglican  Communion," 
Svo,  1843. 

JEBB  (Rev.  John,  d.d.)— "Three  Lectures  [at  Leeds]  on  the  Cathe- 
dral Service  of  the  Church  of  England,"  i2mo,  1 841. 

Memorials  and  Communications  addressed  to  His  late  Majesty's  Com- 
missioners of  Inquiry  into  the  State  of  the  Established  Church,  from  the 
Cathedral  and  Collegiate  Churches  of  England  and  Wales  in  1836  and 
1837.     Svo,  1838. 

Memorial  and  Case  of  the  Clerici-Laici  or  Lay  Clerks  of  Canterbury 
Cathedral,  with  an  introduction  and  Annotations.  Edited  by  Charles 
Sandys,  f.s.a.     8vo,  1848. 

MILLARD  (Rev.  James  Elwin)—"  Historical  Notices  of  the  Office  of 
Choristers,"  i2mo,  1848. 

Mutilation  of  the  Choral  Sen-ice  at  Bristol  Cathedral  by  the  Dean 
(Dr.  Lamb),  with  a  few  words  on  the  proceedings  held  at  the  Visitation  of 
the  Bishop  (Dr.  Monk) — various  letters  and  articles  in  The  Parish  Choir, 
January  and  April,  1849. 

[PEACE  (John)]— "  An  Apology  for  Cathedral  Service,"  8vo,  1839. 

[PEACE  (John)]— "A  Descant  concerning  Cathedral  Choristers," 
8vo,  1844. 

[PEACE  (John)]— On  the  mutilation  of  the  Choral  Service  at  Bristol 
Cathedral,  8vo,  1849. 

*  These  copies  are  mostly  interleaved,  and  contain  copious  notes  and  additions  in 
the  handwriting  of  the  authoress. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  573 

[PEACE  (John)]— On  the  discontinuance  of  the  chanting  of  the 
Prayers  in  Bristol  Cathedral,  8vo,  1849. 

PITTMAN  (Josiah)— "  The  People  in  the  Cathedral— a  Letter  to  the 
Very  Rev.  Henry  Hart  Milman,  d.d.,  Dean  of  S.  Paul's,"  8vo,  1859. 

PRING  (Joseph,  Mus.  D.)— "  Papers,  Documents,  Law  Proceed- 
ings, etc.,  respecting  the  maintenance  of  the  choir  of  the  Cathedral  Church 
of  Bangor,  as  provided  for  by  an  Act  of  Parliament,  passed  in  the  reign  of 
King  James  II,  a.d.  1685,"  8vo,  1819. 

PULLEN  (Rev.  H.  W.)— "The  Real  Work  of  a  Cathedral,  and 
why  it  is  not  done.     A  few  words  to  Deans  and  Chapters,"  8vo,  1869. 

PULLEN  (Rev.  H.  W.)— "  Our  Choral  Services.  A  few  words  on 
the  present  state  of  Church  Music  in  England,"  8vo,  1865. 

PUSEY  (Dr.)— Remarks  on  Cathedral  Institutions,  8vo,  1839. 

SEYMOUR  (Rev.  Edward)— "  The  Cathedral  System,  with  special 
reference  to  the  Re-organisation  of  the  Church  of  Ireland,"  i2mo,  1870. 

SEYMOUR  (Rev.  Edward)— Some  Remarks  upon  the  Bill  for 
Christ  Church  Cathedral,  Dublin,  now  before  the  General  Synod  of  the 
Church  of  Ireland,  i2mo,  1879. 

[STEVENS  (Rev.  C.  A.)]— "  Practical  Remarks  on  Cathedral  Music, 
with  a  Plan  of  Reform,"  8vo,  1849. 

[TAYLOR  (Edward)]— "The  English  Cathedral  Service— its  Glory, 
its  Decline,  and  its  Designed  Extinction,"  8vo,  1845. 

WALCOTT  (Rev.  Mackenzie)—"  Cathedralia  :  a  Constitutional  His- 
tory of  Cathedrals  of  the  Western  Church,"  Svo,  1S65. 

WALCOTT  (Rev.  Mackenzie) — "  Customs  and  Traditions  of  Cathe- 
drals," 8vo,  1872. 

WESLEY  (Samuel  Sebastian) — "  A  few  words  on  Cathedral  Music, 
and  the  Musical  System  of  the  Church,  with  a  Plan  of  Reform,"  8vo, 
1849. 

WESLEY  (Samuel  Sebastian)—"  A  Reply  to  the  Inquiry  of  the  Eccle- 
siastical Commissioners,  relative  to  the  Improvements  in  the  Music  of 
Divine  Worship  in  Cathedrals/'  8vo  [1854]. 

WEST  (John  E.)— "  Cathedral  Organists,  Past  and  Present,"  8vo, 
1899. 

WHISTON  (Rev.  Robert)— "Cathedral  Trusts,  and  their  Fulfil- 
ment," 8vo,  1849. 

To  the  above  may  be  added  the  Reports  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Com- 
missioners on  the  English  Cathedrals,  issued  in  1836,  1854,  aDd  1883. 


2  P 


INDEX 


Adams,  Thomas,  458 
Adaptations    from    foreign 

sources,  366 
Albert,  Prince,  Installation 

of,  at  Cambridge,  473 
Alcock,    John   (sen.),    239, 

256,  335.  345-50 
Alcock,    John    (jun-)»    349 

(note) 
Aldrich,  Dean,  39,  44,  52, 

67,  143,  178-86,  262,  263, 

333..  568   (Appendix) 
Alfieri,    Pietro,    his  collec- 
tion of  church  music,  557 
Allegri,  Gregorio,  75  (note), 

221 
Allen,  George  B.,  546 
Ambrosian  Te  Deum,  16 
Amner,  John,  97 
Amott,  John,  442,  488 
Angel,  Alfred,  508 
Anglican    chant,    the,    563 

(Appendix) 
Anne,  Queen,  235 
Anthem,  first  directions  for 

its  use,  12 
Antwerp  Cathedral,  76 
Arkwright,  G.  P.  E.,  23,  55 
Armes,  Philip,  88,  129,  459 

547.  55o 
Armstead,    Henry    Hugh, 

sculptor,  48 
Arne,    Thomas   Augustine, 

503 
Arnold,   Samuel,   134,   300, 

323,  327,  329-39,  361 
Arnold,    Samuel    J.,     338, 

428 
Arnold's  Cathedral  Music, 

46.  53,  97,   152,  183,   199, 

205,   209,    237,    243,    250, 

273,  305,  33i-4 
Arnold,  G.  B.,  459 
Ashmole,  Elias,  126 
Ashton,  C,  135 
Aspinwall,  Sub-dean,  214 
Attwood,  Thomas,  101,  318, 

388,    394,    400-25,    453, 

461,    474,    504,    507,    508, 

5i5,  5i7,  569  (Appendix) 
Avery,  John,  312 
Avison,  Charles,  289 
Aylward,     Theodore,    330 

(note) 
Ayleward.  Richard,  177 
Ayrton,  Edmund,  306,  313, 

350-2,  569  (Appendix) 
Ayrton,  William,  352,  410 

Bach,    J.    Sebastian,    383, 

468,  553 
Bach  Choir  Magazine,  72 
Baildon,  Joseph,  239,  313 
Banaster,  Gilbert,  20 
Bangor     Cathedral,     Law 

Suit,  438-40 


Banks,  Ralph,  organist  of 

Rochester  Cathedral 

(1790-1841),  361 
Barcroft,  Thomas,    20,   29 

(note) 
Barham,  Rev.  R.  H.,  418 
Barnard,  Sir  Andrew,  393, 

511 
Barnard,      Rev.     J.,     his 

Church  Music,  42,  46,  56, 

95,  107-10,  261 
Barnby,    Sir    Joseph,    337, 

459,   486,   499,   518,   523, 

547 
Barnett,  John,  507 
Barrett,   W.    A.    (quoted), 

67,144,  239,  448,  503,  553 
Barnngton,   Hon.   Daines, 

395,  445,  529 
Barrow,  Thomas,  216,    567 

(Appendix) 
Barter,  Warden,  492 
Ba-tleman,  James,  62,  317, 

319,450  _ 

Bassani,     Giovanni      Bat- 

tista,  2ii 
Batchiler,  Daniel,  96 
Bateson,  Thomas,  71 
Batten,  Adrian.  93-6,  333 
Battel!,  Sub-dean,  196 
Battishill,  Jonathan,  324-9 
Bavarian  Chapel,  Warwick 

Street,  392 
Bayley,  William,  430 
Bayly,  Rev.  Anselm,  214 
Beale,   William,   317,   453, 

463 
Beckwith,  Edward,  353 
Beckwith,  Rev.  E.  G.,  357, 

511   . 
Beckwith,  Rev.  E.  J.,  357 
Beckwith,  Rev.  G.,  358 
Beckwith,  John,  352 
Beckwith,    Dr.   John,   297, 

352-6 
Beckwith,  J.  Charles,  356 
Beethoven,  Louis  von,  366, 

506,  507 
Benedicite     Services,      566 

(Appendix) 
Benet,  John,  71 
Bennett,  Alfred,  434-6 
Bennett,  Thomas,  434 
Bennett,  Sir  W.  Sterndale, 

459,  54*5 
Bennett,  Rev.  W.  J.  E.,  531 
Berthelet,  Thomas,  King's 

Printer,  9 
Bever,  Dr.,  360  (note) 
Bevin,  Elway,  90,  91,  262 
Binfield,  J.  B.,  283 
Birch,  Humphrey  W.,  210 
Bishop,  J.  (of  Cheltenham), 

42,  44,  109 
Bishop,  J.  (of  Winchester), 

229,  281,  568  (Appendix) 

574 


Bishop,  Sir  Henry  R.    318 

482,  507,  535 
Blachford,  Lord,  456 
Blake,  Rev.  Dr.,  443 
Blitheman,     W.,    73,     563 

(Appendix) 
Blomfield,  Bishop,  407,  432 
Blore,     Edward,  architect, 

569  (Appendix) 
Blow,     John,    124,    130-9, 
262,   263,  394,    565    (Ap- 
pendix) 
Blow,  John,  Commemora- 
tion of,  311 
Bloxam,  Rev.  J.  R.,    171, 
215    (note),    280    (note), 
294 
Boardman,  J.  G.,  407,  430 
Bond,  Hugh,  365 
Boyce,   William,   154,  246, 

269-80,  333,  382 
Boyce's  Cathedral  Music, 
29,  42,  46,  56,  72,  73,  95, 
128,  135,  152,  166,  172, 
182,  198,  205,  228,  256-67, 
565  (Appendix) 
Boys'  voices,  dearth  of,  at 

Restoration,  122 
Braddock,  E.,  196,  213 
Bramley,  Rev.  H.  R.,  84 
Brewer,  A.  H.,  289 
Bridge,  Sir  Frederick,  155 
319,  460,  486,  567  (Appen- 
dix) 
Bridge,  J.  C,  507 
Brind,  R.,  245 
Bristol  Cathedral,  104,  262 
Broadley,  A.  M.,  568  (Ap- 

pendix) 
Brownsmith,  J.  L. ,  512 
Bryan,  Albertus,  96,  332 
Bulkeley,  Stephen,  115 
Bull,  John,  73-6,  477 
Bumpus,  T.   Francis,    335, 

342  •     „. 

Buononcini,   Giovanni,  249 

Burnet,  Bishop,  48 
Burney,  Dr.,  70,  172 
Burns'  "Services  and  An- 
thems," 55,  72 
Burrard,  J.,  organ-builder, 

9° 
Busby,  Dr.,  head  master  of 

Westminster,  178 
Busby,  Thomas,  326 
Butterfield,   W.,   architect, 

568  (Appendix) 
Byrd,   William,  58-68,  180, 

262,  263 

Calkin,    J.    Baptiste,   459, 

486 
Callcott,  A.W.,  318 
Callcott,    J.  W.,  337,  338 

453 
Callcott,  W.  H.    507 


INDEX 


575 


Cambridge,  Fitzwilliam 
Museum  Library,  129, 
134.  235 

Cambridge,  Jesus  College 
Chapel,  470 

Cambridge,  King's  Col- 
lege Chapel,  465,  470,471 

Cambridge,  S.  John's 
College   Chapel,  462 

Cambridge,  S.  Peter's 
College,  Musical  MSS. 
at,  21,  47,  66,  95,  166, 
561  (Appendix) 

Cambridge,  Trinity  Col- 
lege Chapel,  464,  473,  477 

Cambridge,  Walmisley's 
Sunday  at,  475 

Cambridge  Portfolio >,  The, 

*64 

Cambridge  University 
Musical  Club,  419 

Camden,  Marquis  of,  In- 
stallation,  467 

Camden,  William,  79 

Camidge,  Dr.  John,  366, 
566  (Appendix) 

Canterbury  Cathedral,  105, 
261,  299 

Cardinals  of  S.  Paul's,  119 

Carissimi,  Giacomo,  127, 
131,  180, 182,  205,  366 

Carlton,  Sub-dean,  214 

Carter,  R.,  13 

Cathedral  Magazine,  The, 
52,  129,  135,  199,  200, 
205,  219,  231,  252,  272, 
332  (note) 

Cathedrals  of  New  Foun- 
dation, 23 

Cathedrals  of  Old  Foun- 
dation, 23 

Causton,  Thos.,  15,  16,  17 

Cawood,  Martin,  of  Leeds, 
484. 

Centlivre,  Joseph,  269 

Champness,  S.,  275,  325 

Champneys,  Rev.  Weldon, 
362,  388,  518 

Champneys,  Rev.  Wm. 
Weldon,  518 

Champneys,  Frank,  518 

"Chanting  Services,"  221, 
344 

Chapel  Royal,  the,  564 
(Appendix) 

Chapel  Royal,  daily  ser- 
vice at  the  (Appendix) 

Chapel  Royal,  Cheque 
Book  of  the,  17,  59,  73, 
146, 196 

Chapel    Royal,     establish- 
ment ofcomposership,  132 
Chard,    G.    W.,   442,   488, 

568  (Appendix) 
Charles  I,  167 

Charles  II,    131,   137,   142, 

401 
Charlotte,  Princess,  405 
Cherubim,  Maria  Luigi,  507 


Chichester  Cathedral,  240, 

242,  262 
Child,  Simon,  215 
Child,     William,    90,    122, 

163-8,  262,  263,  332,  333, 

396,   566  (Appendix) 
Chipp,  Edmund  T.,  430 
Choir,   The,   17,  27,  32,  95, 

135,  166,  228,  230 
Choristers,       Impressment 

of,  25,  103 
Church,  John,  206,  213 
Church,  Richard,  215,  295 

(note) 
Church,  Dean,  523 
Church  Music  Society,  the, 

.5° 
Cinque,  Fihppo,  402 
Clari,  Giovanni,  366,  545 
Clark,  Jeremiah,  132,  195- 

201,  233,  234,  235,  333 
Clark,  Richard,  251,  511 
Clarke,   Rev.     W.,    Minor 
Canon      of     S.      Paul's 
(1767-1820),  362 
Clarke  Whitfeld,  John,  232 
249    (note),    294,    372-7, 
449,  467,  480 
Clemens  non  Papa,  378 
Clementi,  Muzio,  432 
Clifford,  James,  41,  119-21 
Clifford,    James,    his    Ser- 
vices and  Anthems,   30, 
54>  95, 115-19.  *3°,  150 
Clifton,  J.  C,  507 
Club  Anthem,  the,  131,  147 
Cobb,  Gerard  F.,  464 
Cobbold,  W.,  71 
Colborne,  Langdon,  547 
Coleridge,    Arthur    Duke, 

254,467 
Compton,    Bishop,   n,   120 

(note),  229 
Concentores    Sodales,   the, 

418 
Confessor    to     the    Royal 
Household,    569  (Appen- 
dix) 
Consort  Prince,  S.  S.  Wes- 
ley's funeral  anthem  for, 
498 
Cook,  Captain  Henry,  122, 

125-7 
Cooke,  Benjamin,  62  (note), 

308-18 
Cooke,  Henry,  188 
Cooke,  Robert,  144,  318-20 
Cooke,  Tom,  318,  507 
Cooke,  Rev.  W.,  71 
Cooper,  G.  (sen.),  393 
Cooper,  G.  (jun.),  511 
Cope,    Rev.    Sir    W.    H., 
Bart.,  66,  78,  95,  135, 167, 
173,    182,   241,    534,    562 
(Appendix) 
Coram,  Captain,  272 
Corfe,  A.  T.,  317,  366,  405, 

432 
Corfe,  Bishop  C.  J.,  433 


Corfe,  Precentor   Edward, 

433 
Corfe,  C.  W.,  432,  537 
Corfe,  Joseph,  282,  432 
Cornet,     the,     at     Chapel 

Royal  and  Westminster 

Abbey,  123,  125 
Cornysh,  Wm.,  20 
Cosin,  Bishop,  113,166,358 
Courtville,  Raphael,  140 
Cox,  Geo.  Valentine,  290 
Coxe,    Bishop    A.,   Cleve- 
land, 57,  145, 289 
Cramer,  J.  B.,  319,  320 
Cranmer,  Archbishop,  4,  9 
Cree,  Rev.  E.  D.,  33 
Crews,  C.  T.  D.,  82 
Creyghton,  Bishop,  113 
Creyghton,  Robert,  186-9, 

267 
Crispin,  A.  Trevor,  533 
Crocker,    Chas.,    240,    241, 

242 
Croft,  William,  201-n,  333, 

428,  567  (Appendix) 
Crosdill,  John,  317,  321 
Cross,  William,  288 
Crotch,    William,    33,    65, 

205,  252,  300,    369,   444- 

55,  472 
Crotch,   Rev.  W.  R.,   447, 

448 
Cummings,    W.  H.,  535 
Cusins,  W.  G.,  430 

D'Almaine,  music  publish- 
er, 334,  339 

Dale,  Rev.  Thomas,  507 

Dallams,  the,  organ-buil- 
ders, 113 

Dart,  J.,  his  History  and 
Antiquities  of  Canter- 
bury, 81 

Davey,  Henry,  his  History 
of  English  Music,  21 

Davison,  J.  W.,  musical 
critic,  493 

Day's  Service  Book,  some 
account  of,  14-17,  561 
(Appendix) 

De  Gex,  Rev.  G.  F.,  531 

Dearie,  Edward,  508 

Deering,  Richard,  126 

Dickson,  Precentor  W.  E., 
55,  222,  470 

Dolben,  Sir  John,  214,  280 

Dolby,  Miss,  535 

Dowland,  John,  378 

Doyle,  Sir  Francis  H.,  550 

Dragonetti,  Domenico, 
double-bass  player,  467 

Drury,  Rev.  Dr.,  head  mas- 
ter of  Harrow,  318 

Dublin  Ancient  Concerts, 
468 

Dublin,  Christ  Church 
Cathedral,  261,  £00,  515 

Dublin,  S.  Patrick's  Cathe- 
dral, 261 


576      ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 


Dulwich  College,  24 

Dupuis,  Thomas  Sanders, 
291,  321-4 

Durante,  Francesco,  545 

Durham,  Eucharistic  vest- 
ments at,  359  (note) 

Dyce,  William,  13 

Dykes,  Rev.  J.  B.,  301 
(note),  459,  546 

Dyne,  J.,  Vicar-choral  of 
S.  Paul's,  277 

Eaton,  T.  D.,  353,  356 
Ebdon,  Thomas,  358 
Eblyn,  J.,  281 
Eccles,  J.,  246 
Edward  VI,  King,  34 
Edward  VI's  First  Prayer 

Book,  1-4,  561  (Appendix) 
Edwards,  F.  G.,  395,  423, 

460,  493,  496 
Elford,  Richard,  227 
Elizabeth,   Queen,    34,    38, 

48,  69,  561  (Appendix) 
Elvey,  Sir  G.  J.,  437,  452, 

459.  5o8,  546 
Elvey,  Stephen,   207,    208, 

215  (note),  537 
Ely  Cathedral,  MS.  collec- 
tion of  church  music  at, 

5i.  55,  134,  *38,  191.  i92. 

205,  219-22,  224 
Epiphany,   celebration   of, 

at  the  Chapel  Royal,  73, 

404 
Eslava,    Miguel    Hilarion, 

his  collection  of  Spanish 

church  music,  557 
Este    (or   East),    Thomas, 

62,  68 
Estwick,    Rev.     Sampson, 

189-91,  233 
Eton  College,  262 
Eton  College,  choir  books 

at,  21,  244 
Evans,  Rev.  Precentor,  181 

(note) 
Evelyn,  John,  ioo,  124,  187 
Everseed,  H.,  36,  80 
Exeter    Cathedral,    choral 

celebrations  at,  341 

Farrant,  John,  56 
Farrant,    Richard,     49-52, 

262,  263 
Fawcett,  Rev.  Joshua,  475 
Fayrfax,  Robert,  20,  21 
Ferrabosco,  John,  176,  221 
Finedon    Church,     North- 
amptonshire, 206,  280 
Finlayson,  Rev.  John,  44, 

236 
Fiocco,  Pietro,  191 
Flintoft,  Rev.  Luke,  193 
Fly,  Rev.  Dr.  Henry,  Sub- 
dean  of  S.  Paul's  (1811- 
33),  362,  570  (Appendix) 
Foster,  Arthur,  561 
Foster,  John,  216 


Foster,  Myles  Birket,   134 

(note) 
Fryer,  Rev.  Victor,  387 
Fuller,  Thomas,  48 
Fuseli,  Henry,  560 
Fussell,   Peter,   232  (note), 

285  (Appendix) 
Fyffe,  Rev.  Henry,  531,  533 

Gadsby,  Henry,  459 
Gainsborough,      Thomas, 

343 
Gaisford,  Dean,  1S4,  536 
Gamut,  the,  107 
Gardiner,  W.,  of  Leicester, 

„  392,  45i 
Garland,  John,  352 
Gamier,  Dean,  490 
Garrett,    George    M.,   459, 

486,  493 
Garrick,  David,  275 
Gates,    Bernard,   212,   215, 

254,  291,  298,  302 
Gauntlett,   Henry  J.,  371, 

5M 
George  III,  anecdotes   of, 

35i,396,4°i 
George  III,  coronation  of, 

272 
George  IV,  397,  401,  479 
George  IV,  coronation  of, 

272,  283,  405 
German  Lutheran  Church, 

Savoy,  427 
Gibbons,   Christopher,    89, 

122 
Gibbons,  Grinling,  568  (Ap- 
pendix) 
Gibbons,   Rev.   John,    277 

(note) 
Gibbons,   Orlando,   17,  40, 

78-90,  262,  263,  477,  550 
Gilbert,  Walter  Bond,  461, 

546 
Gladstone,  Francis  E.,  486 
Glee   Club,   the,  337,   381, 

427,  428,  505 
Glenn,  Robert,  479 
Gloucester  Cathedral, 

chimes  of,  289 
Glover,  W.,  463  (note),  472 
Goldwin,  John,  218-19,  263, 

332»  333,  360 
Good,  John,  190 
Goodenough,  Dean,  208 
Goodenough,  Rev.  R.   P., 

453 
Goodman,  Godfrey,  85,  91 
Goodson,  R.  (sen.),  190,  225, 

234 (note) 
Goodson,  R.  (Jun-)>  215,  286 
Goodwin,  Bishop  Harvey, 

468 
Goss,  John  Jeremiah,  501 
Goss  John,   94,    201,    252, 

288,    312,    336,   377,    404 

(note),  406,  458,   501-28, 

546 
Goss,  Rev.  John,  517  1 


Gostling,    Rev.  John,   133 

(note),  158 
Gostling,    Rev.    Wm.,    54 

(note),  264 
Gounod,  Charles,  519-23 
Graduates'  Meetings,  323 
Grafton,   Richard,    King's 

printer,  9 
Graun,  C.  Heinrich,  366,526 
Graziani,  Francesco,  180 
Greatheed,  Rev.  S.  S.,  546 
Greatorex,  Thomas,  214,  317 
Green,       Samuel,      organ- 
builder,  161  (note),  299 
Greene,  Maurice,  212,  235, 

244-54,  333,  360,  361 
Greenwich,     musical    me- 
morials at,  36,  37 
Gresham  College,  74 
Gresham    Prize    Composi- 
tions, 367,  456,  480,  508 
Greville,  Rev.  R.,  317 
Grove,     Sir     George,    159, 

565  (Appendix) 
Guise,  Richard,  311,  425 
Gwilt,  George,  206 
Gyles,  Nathaniel,  ioi,  102 
Gyles,  Thomas,  102 

Hacket,  Bishop,  113 
Hackett,   Maria,    25,    367, 

427,  441,  502,508,510 
Hackett's      National 

Psalmist,  398,  452,    468, 

492,  526 
Haden,  Rev.  J.Clarke,  412 
Hague,  Professor  C,  373 
Haking,  Rd.,  546 
Hale,  Archdeacon,  64 
Hall,  Bishop,  in 
Hall,  Henry,  162,  287,  333 
Hall,   Rev.    W.  J.   (sen.), 

418,  514 
Hall,   Rev.   W.   J.,  Gun.), 

120  (note),  367  (note) 
Hampden,  Bishop,  538,  540 
Hampton,  Rev.  John,  535, 

548 
Handel,  George  Frederick, 

205,  216,  247-50,  269,  365, 

366,  382,  444,  503,  556 
Harley,  Lord,  222 
Harmonia     Wykehamicay 

the,  232,  285,  298 
Harmonists'  Society,  418 
Harris,   Joseph  John,   502 

(note) 
Harris,  Renatus,  113,  133 
Hart,  Charles,  508 
Harwood,  Basil,  486 
Hasylton,  Robert,  16 
Hatton,    Sir    Christopher, 

68,  89 
Hatton,     J.     L.,    42,    539 

(note) 
Havergal,  Rev.  H.  E.,  43, 

55.  546 
Havergal,  Rev.  W.  H.,  41 

289,  453,  5°8 


Hawes,  John,  318 
Hawes,  Maria  B.,  431 
Hawes,  Rev.   T.   H.,  208, 

Hawes,  William,  40,  58, 
71,  Q3,  207,  208,  217  (note), 
306,  318,  339,  377,  408, 
420,  425-31,  478,  495,  514 

Hawkins,  James,  219-22 

Hawkins,  Sir  John,  91,  191, 
259  . 

Hawkins,  Miss,  315 

Hawtrey.Rev.  Prebendary, 
444 

Haycraft,  Henry,  414 
(note),  456,  470,  498 

Haydn,  Joseph,  322,  323, 
366,  507 

Hayes,  Philip,  32,  134,  150, 
171,  174,  177.  185,  215, 
(note),  232,  271,  273, 
290-301,  372 

Hayes,  Rev.  Thomas  (of 
Durham),  301 

Hayes,  Rev.  Thomas  (of 
Monk-Hesleton),  294 

Hayes,  William,  183,  208, 
232  (note),  264,  285-90,  330 

Haym,  Nicholas,  43 

Hayne,  Rev.  Leighton 
George,  546 

Hayter,  Aaron  Upjohn,  373 

Hearne,  Thomas,  234 

Heather,  William,  79 

Heathcote,  Rev.  Gilbert, 
32,  33.  44.  7i»  208,  215 
(note),  230   232,  298,  433 

Heathfield,  Lord,  312 

Hecht,  Thomas,  286 

Helmore,  Rev.  T.,  547 

Henry  VIII,  King,  56 

Herbert,  George,  54 

Hereford  Cathedral,  104, 
243,  516,  539 

Heseltine,  James,  358 

Hill,  James,  482 

Hill,  Rev.  Rowland,  383 

Hilton,  John,  51 

Hindle,  John,  317 

Hine,   William,    162,    285, 

_  ?98,  333,  360 

Hingston,  J.,  126 

Hoadley,  Bishop,  567  (Ap- 
pendix) 

Hoadley,  John,  567  (Ap- 
pendix) 

Hobbs,  J.  W.,511 

Hoddinott,  J.,  286,  335 

Holder,  Rev.  William, 
191-3 

Holland,  Rev.  William 
Woollams,  71 

Holland,  Rev.  J.  M.,  535 

Holmes,  Edward,  161,  211, 
39o 

Holmes,  George,  139  (note), 
360 

Holmes,  John,  93 

Holmes,  Rev.  William,  380 


INDEX 

Hook,  Dr.,  of  Leeds,  482 
Hooper,  Edmund,  93 
Hopkins,    Edward     John, 

420,   421,   458,  459,    486, 

508,  509,  546 
Hopkins,  John,  430 
Hopkins,   J.   Larkin,    237, 

253,  304,  438. 
Horn,  Karl  Fnednch,  437 
Horsley,   William,  39,  252, 

369.  507 
Hours,  the  Canonical,  2 
Howard,  Samuel,  264,  313 
Howson,  Dean,  468 
Huddesford,  George,  231 
Hudson,  Mary,  161  (note) 
Hudson,  Robert,  161  (note), 

165  (note),  239,  332  (note), 

335 
Hullah,  John,  30,  66,  474, 

524 
Hummel,     J.      Nepomuk, 

366,  475,  507 
Humphreys,    Pelham,  124, 

127-30,  150,  263,  401 
Humphreys,    Pelham,    his 

"  Grand  Chant,'  564  (Ap- 
pendix) 
Huntingford,  Bishop,  282 
Husk,  W.  H.,  315,  379 
Hutchinson,  W.  Florio,  560 
Hymns :  Ancient  and  Mod- 
ern,    introduced     at    S. 

Paul's,  514  (note) 

Ingelo,  Nathaniel,  170 

Jackson,    Cyril,    Dean     of 

Christ    Church,   Oxford, 

184,  446 
Jackson,  Rev.  Thomas,  398 
Jackson,  William,  of  Exe- 

ter  339-43,  453 
Jacob,  Benjamin,  3S3 
James  II,  King,  138,  139, 

160 
Janes,  Robert,  44 
Jebb,  Rev.  John,  482,  516, 

556 
JefTeries,  Stephen,  289 
Jewett,  Randolph,  99,  169 
Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel,  400 
Jolly,  John,  317 
Jomelli,  Nicolo,  366 
Jones,  John,  403 
Joyce,  Rev.  James,  531 
Joyce,   Rev.  J.   Wayland, 

53o 
Joyce,  Rev.  F.  W.,  555 

Kelly,  Michael,  402 
Kelway,  Joseph,  269,  396 
Kelway,  Thomas,  240-2 
Kempton,  Thomas,  221 
Kent,    James,   206,   280-5, 

568  (Appendix) 
King,  Charles,  197,  232-40, 

245,  269,  332,  333,  345 


577 

King,  Donald,  430 
King,  William,  n,  561  (Ap- 
pendix) 
Knyvett,  William,  252 
Knyvett,  Charles  (sen.),  317 
Knyvett,  Charles  (jun.),  317 
Kramer,  Christian,  479 

Lamb,  Charles,  312 
Langdon,     Richard,      144, 

222,  273,339,  344 
Langdon,  Rev.  Tobias,  342, 

344 
Lasso,  Orlando  di,  378 
Latilla,  Gaetano,  402 
Laud,  Archbishop,  84,   90, 

94,  95  (note),  in 
Lawes,  Henry,  122 
Lawes,  William,  169 
Leal,  Moreira,  366 
Lee,  William,  351 
Leeds    Madrigal  and  Mo- 

tett  Society,  497 
Leeds  Parish  Church,  483 
Leo,    Leonardo,    205,    366, 

346 
Leslie,  Henry,  546 
Liber  Ecclesiasticus,  28 
Liber  Niger  Domus  Regis 

24 
Lichfield     Cathedral,      n, 

109,  136  (note),  138,  191, 

206,  216,  262,  347 
Lichfield  Cathedral,  Vicars 

Choral  of,  350 
Lincoln  Cathedral,  n,  135 

(note),  304 
Lind,  Jenny, 517 
Lindley,     Robert,    violon- 
cellist, 467 
Linley,  Rev.  Ozias  Thurs- 
ton, 356 
Litany    first    sung    at     S. 

Paul's,  10 
Litany,   method  of  singing 

in  various  cathedrals,  n 
Litany,   Tallis',  revived  at 

S.  Paul's,  43  (note) 
Lloyd,  C.  Harford,  460 
Locke,  Matthew,  ioo,  123, 

406 
Longhurst,    W.    H.,     105, 

216,  305,  437 
Loosemore,  Henry,  n,  223, 

561  (Appendix) 
Loosemore,  John,  113 
Lott,  JohnB.,  n 
Lotti,  Antonio,  249 
Lowe,    Edward,    46,    114, 

122,  267 
Lucas,  Charles,  456,  508 
Lucas,  John,  560 
Lully,  John  Baptiste,  127, 
_  557 
Lupton,  Rev.  James,  Minor 

Canon  of  S.  Paul's  and 
Westminster   Abbey 
(1829-1873),  511 
Lydley's  Prayers,  51 


578      ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 


Macfarren,  George  Alexan- 
der, 6i,  459,  486,  500,  547 

Machin,  William,  325  (note) 

Macpherson,  Charles,  460, 
486,527 

Madrigal  Society.  32,  39, 
427,  428 

Magdalen  College,  Oxford, 
261 

Magdalen  College,  Oxford, 
May  Morning  at,  174-5 
(note) 

Makepeace,  W.,  429 

Malchair,  W.,  289 

Malibran,  Maria  Felicita, 
432.  467 

Mann,  Arthur  Henry,  39, 
177,  460, 471 

Manns,  Sir  August,  550 

Mansel,  Dean,  180 

Mansell,  Bishop,  372 

Marcello,  Benedetto,  507 

Marenzio,  Luca,  71,  360 

Marquet,  Jas.,  312 

Marriott,  Rev.   G.  P.,   n, 

Marsh,  John,  299,  360,  449, 

453 
Marshall,  William,  237,  241, 

288,   430,   434,    530,    533 

(note) 
Martin,  Sir  George,  43,  207, 

312,  327  (note),  355,  387, 

460,  486 
Martin,  G.  W.,  430 
Martin,  Jonathan,  243 
Mary  II,  Queen,  132,  160 
Mason,  Rev.  Precentor  W., 

52 
Mattheson,  Johann,  248 
Matthews,     Samuel,      366, 

463.  475 
Maurice,  Rev.  Peter,  474 
Maxey,  Dean,  84 
May  Morning  on  Magdalen 

Tower,  174,  175  (note) 
McMurdie,  J.,  507 
Mence,  Rev.  Benjamin,  398 

(note) 
Mendelssohn,    Felix,    385, 

422,  424,  474,  476 
Mendelssohn,  his  Morning 

and  Evening  service,  569 

(Appendix) 
Merbecke,  John,  4-14 
Mercer,  Rev.  W.,  513 
Merewether,  Dean,  480 
Miller,  Thomas,  462 
Milman,  Dean,  451  (note), 

512,  516 
Milman,  Rev.  W.  H.,  120 

(note),  564  (Appendix) 
Monasteries,  study  of  music 

in  the,  18  _ 
Monk,  Edwin  George,  42, 

547.  550 
Monk,  William  Henry,  33, 

448  (note) 
Morales,  Christobal,  378 


Morley,  Thomas,  59,  68-73 
Morley,  William,  72 
Mornington,  Lord,  305,  382, 

395,  445,  456  . 
Motett,  derivation  of  word, 

12 
Motett  Society,  the,  13,  30, 

46,  66,  135,  181,  561  (Ap- 
pendix) 
Moxley,  A.  J.  S.,  430 
Mozart,     Wolfgang    Ama- 

deus,  366,  402,  461,  505 
Mulcaster,  Rd.,  38 
Mulliner,  T.,  27,  35 
Mundy,  John,  55 
Mundy,  William,  55 
Musical    Antiquarian 

Society,  the,  39,  61,  89,  99 
Musical   Association,   the, 

552 

Nalson,  Rev.  Valentine,  191 
Nares,  James,  302-7,  332, 

333,  568  (Appendix) 
Nares,  Archdeacon,  306 
Nares,   Lieut. -General   Sir 

George,  306 
National  Psalmist,  Hack- 

ett's,  398,  452,  468,  492, 

526 
Naylor,  John,  53 
New  College,  Oxford,  230, 

261,  296,  297,  357 
Neukomm,    the    Chevalier 

Sigismund,  507 
Nicholas,  Warden,  568  (Ap- 
pendix) 
Newton,  Sir  Isaac,  466 
Noblemen's    Catch    Club, 

the,  325 
Norris,  Thomas,  295 
Northumberland,  Duke  of, 

Installation,  474 
Novello,  Clara,  406,  432 
Novello,  J.  Alfred,  101,  253, 

264,  334,  472,  508 
Novello,  Vincent,  89,  135, 

151,    154,   203,    206,   207, 

272,   273,   304,    311,    313, 

391,  425,  461,  474,  534 
Novello's  Cathedral  Choir 

Book,  97, 188,  288, 304, 312 

Oakelande,  Christopher,  16 
Oakeley,  Sir  Herbert,  459, 

486,  546 
Ordinal,  the,  41,  562  (Ap- 
pendix) 
Okenheim,  Johannes,  39 
Oliphant,  Thomas,  32,  42, 

44,  68,  456 
' '  Oratorios, "  at  Drury  Lane 

and  Covent  Garden,  429 
Oriana   Madrigal   Society, 

66 
Oriana,  the  Triumphs  of, 

70 
Ottley,  Captain  E.  J.,  533, 

557 


Ouseley,  Right.  Hon.  Sir 
Gore,  40,  529 

Ouseley,  Rev.  Sir  Frederick 
A.  Gore,  17,  40,  42,  53, 
65,  77,  83,  139,  173,  213, 
216,  241,  470,  516,  528-60 

Oxford,  Christ  Church 
Cathedral,  184,  446 

Oxford,  Harmonic  Society 
of,  453 

Oxford,  Magdalen  College, 

172,  261,  174  (note),  481 
Oxford,  New  College,  230, 

261,  296,  297,  357  (note) 
Oxford,  portraits  in  Music 

School,  298,  560 
Oxford,     Professorship     of 

Music  founded,  79 
Oxford,    Sheldonian    The- 
atre, 171,  293,  297 

Paddon,  James,  339,  480 
Page's  Harmonia  Sacra, 
29>   I35,   139  (note),   152, 

173,  182,  199,  205,  228, 
238,  239,  243,  250,  251, 
272,  305,  322,  326,  360-2, 
387,  398 

Palestrina,  Giovanni,  Pier- 

luigi     da,     35,     71,     75 

(note),  181 
Parish  Choir,  The,  13,  173, 

188,  219,  228,  230,  319 
Parker,     Archbishop,     his 

Psalter,  41 
Parratt,  Sir  Walter,  461, 537 
Parry,  T.  Gambier,  289 
Parsons,  John,  79,  114,  267 
Parsons,  Sir  William,  317 
Patrick,  Nathaniel,  52,  53, 

335 
Peacham,  Thomas,  68 
Peake,  R.  B.,  429 
Pearce,  Sub-dean,  214 
Pearsall,  Samuel,  350 
Penson,    Rev.    Peter,    301 

(note),  366 
Pepusch,    Christopher,   67, 

242,  269 
Pepys,    Samuel,    100,    124, 

125  (note),  127,  128,  131, 

167 
Perez,  David,  366 
Pergolesi,    Giovanni     Bat- 

tista,  376,  507 
Pettet,  Alfred,  417,  451,  507 
Phillips,  Henry,  244 
Philharmonic  Society,  the, 

318,  507      _ 
Phillpotts,  Bishop,  342 
Pickering,    William,    pub- 
lisher, 6 
Piers,  Edward,  97 
Pierson,  Martin,  97 
Pigott,  Francis,  196 
Pitt,  Thomas,  365 
Pius  VI,  Pope,  386 
Playford,   John,   109,   115, 

173,  205,  206,  228 


Pope,  Alexander,  245 
Pordage,  Sub-dean,  214 
Portland,     Duke    of,     In- 
stallation at  Oxford,  292 
Porter,    Samuel,    239,    299 

(note),  332  (note) 
Porter,  Walter,  125  (note) 
Potter,  Cipriani,  453,  517 
Pratt,  John,  366,  475 
Prendergast,     A.    H.    D., 

208,  274 
Pridden,   Rev.   John,   120, 

362 
Pring,  Isaac,  442 
Pring,  Jacob  Cubitt,   441, 

Pring,  Joseph,  438 

Proslce,  Carl,  his  collection 
of  church  music,  557 

Prout,  Ebenezer,  460 

Prior,  Matthew,  243 

Psalter,  the,  7 

Puritans,  the,  and  church 
music,  in 

Purcell,  Daniel,  566  (Ap- 
pendix) 

Purcell,  Edward,  566  (Ap- 
pendix) 

Purcell,  Henry,  132,  148- 
62,  262,  263,  333,  361 

Purcell,  Henry,  Commem- 
orations of,  155-8,  566 
(Appendix) 

Purcell,  Thomas,  i33(note), 
149 

Purchas,  Rev.  John,  476 

Pusey.  Dr.,  566  (Appendix) 

Pye,  Kellow  J.,  508 

Pyne,  James  Kendrick,  509 

Randall,    John,    313,    372, 

446 
Ravenscroft,  Thos.,  97 
Reading,  John,  240 
Redford,  John,  23-8 
Redhead,  Richard,  13,  32 
Reed,  T.  German,  551 
Rego,  Joze  do,  366 
Rennell,  Dean,  443 
Reinholt,  C.  F.,  403 
Richardson,  Vaughan,  139, 

361 
Rimbault,    E.   F.,    16,   27, 

29,    32,    42,    61,   64,   76, 

100  (note),  101,  135,  173, 

181,   207,   209,    228,   237, 

241.  334 
Robinson,  John,  147,  212 
Rock,  Michael,  317 
Rockstro,   W.    S.,    61,    75 

(note),  217 
Rodgers,  James,  273 
Rogers,  Benjamin,  168-76, 

193,    262.    263,    361,    566 

(Appendix) 
Rogers,  Sir  J.  L.,  44,  347, 

393.  443,  455-9,  5ii 
Roseingrave,  Daniel,  229 
Rowley,  William,  34 


INDEX 


Royal  College  of  Music, 
Library     at,    312,      315, 

354 

Rudhall,  Abraham,  bell- 
founder,  162 

Rushout,  Miss,  558 

Russell,  W.,  536  (note), 
(Appendix) 

S.  Andrew's,  Wells  Street, 
28,  523  .      . 

S.  Barnabas',  Pimlico,  531, 
566  (Appendix) 

S.  George's  Chapel,  Wind- 
sor, 104,  105,  146,  168, 
216,  437 

S.  Katherine's-by-the 
Tower,  391 

S.  Martin -in -the -Fields, 
organ  at,  226 

S.  Michael's  College,  Ten- 
bury,  39,  54,  77,  96,  129, 
183,  205,  216,  225,  243, 
3°6,  453,  529,  540-4, 
556-8 

S.  Paul's  Cathedral,  10,  11, 
23,  47,  60,  138,  190,  233, 
244,  247,  261,  283,  388, 
393,  397,  407,  4",  5*3, 
516, 528 

S.  Paul's  Cathedral,  chor- 
isters of,  426 

S.  Paul's  College,  564  (Ap- 
pendix) 

S.    Paul's,   Knightsbridge, 

Sacchini,  Antonio,  432 
Sale,  John,  426 
Salisbury,  Edward,  303 
Salisbury,  Marquis  of,  In- 
stallation, 550 
Sancroft,  Archbishop,  133 
Sanderson,  Bishop,  113 
Santini,  the  Abbe,  181,  532 
Savage,  William,  324 
Schmidt,  Bernhard,  113,132 
Scholefield,  Rev.  Professor, 

477. 
Schreider,  Christopher,  226 
Scott,  C.  Kennedy,  66 
Scott,  Sir  George  Gilbert, 

544 
Scott,  John,  330  (note) 
Scott,  Sir  Walter,  376  (note) 
Seeker,  Dean,  43  (note) 
Selwyn,  Rev.  W.,  464 
Seymour,    Rev.    Precentor 

E.,  500 
Seymour,    Rev.   Sir    John, 

290 
Shepharde,    John,    16,    17, 

29,  56 
Shield,  William,  246 
Simpson,    Rev.    W.    Spar- 
row, 522 
Singleton,  Rev.  R.  Corbet, 

3*4 
Skeats,    Highmore    (sen.), 

273,  299  (note),  436 


579 


Skeats,  Highmore  (Jun-)> 
437 

Skinner,  Wm.,  233  (note) 

Slatter,  Rev.  G.  Maximi- 
lian, 364 

Sleath,  Rev.  Dr.,  Sub- 
dean    of  Chapel   Royal, 

57 
Smart,  Sir  George,  89,  318, 

322,  330  (note),  393,   497, 

500,  514 
Smart,   Henry,    424  (note), 

458,  486,  496-501 
Smith,  George  Townshend, 

374 
Smith,   John   (of  Dublin), 

539  (note) 
Smith,    John  Stafford,  27, 

30,  72,  273  (note),  377-Si, 

502 
Smith,  Martin,  377 
Smith,  Robert,  140 
Smith,   Rev.   Sydney,  422 

509 
Sons  of  the  Clergy,  Festi- 
vals of  the,  270,  300,  330, 

407,  5i3>  5i5,  516,  5i7 
Soper,  John,   Vicar  Choral 

of  S.  Paul  s,  277 
Southgate,     Dr.    T.    Lea, 

521,  526  (note),  552  (note) 
Spark,  William,  480,  501 
Spencer,  Chas.  Child,  13 
Spencer,  John,  321 
Spofforth,  Reginald,  317 
Spofforth,  Samuel,  350 
Spohr,  Louis,  490 
Spur  Money  in  Cathedrals, 

1 03-7 
Squire,  W.  Barclay,  61,  72, 

81 
Staggins,  Nicholas,  223 
Stainer,  Sir  John,  105,  207, 

368,   459,   486,    527,   546, 

547,  549 
Stanford,    Sir   C    Villiers, 

13,  460,  486 
Stanley,  Dean,  210, 335,  565 

(Appendix) 
Stanley,  John,  246,  313,346 
Steggall,  Charles,  459,  546, 

547 
Stephens,  John,  289,  436 
Stevens,  R.  J.  S.,  369 
Stevenson,  Sir   John,   138 

373  (note),  418 
Stewart,     Sir    Robert    P., 

459,  486,  514  (note),  515, 
552 

Stone,  Robert,  9,  10 
Stonard,  William,  115 
Storace,  Signora,  403 
Stradella,   Alessandro,  180 
Stratton,    Rev.    Precentor, 

n,  410  (note) 
Streatham   Church,    organ 

opening  in  1831,  466 
Street,     George    Edmund 

architect,  500 


S8o      ENGLISH  CATHEDRAL  MUSIC 


Street,     J.     Edward,     567 

(Appendix) 
Strogers,  Nicholas,  53 
Stroud,   Charles,  219,  284, 

361 
Strype,  Rev.  John,  49,60 
Sturges,  Edward,  237,  253, 

430 
Succentor,  office  of,  30 
Succentorsof  S.  Paul's,  190 
Sullivan,    Sir   Arthur,  459, 

499.  524,  526,  547 
Surman,  W.,  237,  253 

Tait,  Archbishop,  enthron- 

ment   of,    as    Bishop    of 

London,  514 
Tallis,  Thomas,  22,  35-48, 

180,    262,   263,   333,    562 

(Appendix) 
Taphouse,  T.  W.,  189 
Tattersall's  Psalmody,  72, 

3*4,  3i9»  323 

Taverner,  John,  20 

Taylor,  Professor  E.,  91, 333 

Telford,     Thomas,    organ- 
builder,  500 

Temple  Church,  organ  at, 

133 
Terry,  R.  R.,38 
Thamar,  of  Peterborough, 

organ-builder,  113 
Thomson,  John,  483 
Thompson,     C.     and     S., 

music-publishers,  194,249, 

326,  349  (note) 
Thornycroft,  Hamo,  525 
Tillotson,  Archbishop,  132 
Tomkins,  Giles,  77 
Tomkins,  John,  77 
Tomkins,  Thomas,  59,  76- 

8,  86,  267 
Tours,  Berthold,  459 
Travers,  John,  242-4,  332, 

333,36i,  493 
Tredaway,  G.  J.,  44 
Triumphs  q/Oriana,  The, 

71,  428 
Trollope,       Thomas      An- 
thony, 282 
Tucker,     Rev.    Wm.,    151, 

565  (Appendix) 
Tuckwell,  Rev.  Wm.,  184, 

536 
Tudway,   Thomas,  47,  67, 

123, 153,  222-5 
Turle,  James,  44,  94,  156, 
201,    252,    288,  312,    319, 
336,  3»5>  392,  4°4  (note), 
456,457,  459,  462,  504511 
Turner,  Wm..  146,  183,  235 
Tusser,  Thomas,  25 
Tuttiett,  Rev.  L.,  532 
Tye,  Christopher,  21,  28-35, 
561  (Appendix) 


Udall,  Nicholas,  Head 
Master  of  Eton,  26 

Vandernan,   Thomas,   214, 

313.  352 
Vaughan,      Thomas,      355 

(note),  443 
Vcnite,  settings  of  the,  4*, 

.65 

Victoria,  Queen,  corona- 
tion of,  272,  468,  509 ; 
marriage  of,  283,  509 

Vignoles,  Rev.  O.  J.,  236 
(note),  460 

Viney,  Mrs.,  of  Gloucester, 
285 

Vittona,  Tommaso,  L.  da, 
180 

Walcott,  Rev.  Mackenzie, 

112,  232 
Walmisley,  Arthur,  419 
Walmisley,    Thomas    Att- 
wood,  317,  366,  404  (note), 
410   (note),  414,    460-78, 


t9i,  5°7 
aim 


Walmisley, Thomas  Forbes, 

317,  507 
Walpole,  Horace,  72  (note) 
Walsh,  George,  230  (note) 
Walsh,  J.,  music-publisher, 

152, 250 
Waltham  Abbey,  35 
Wanley,     Humphrey,    225 

(note) 
Wanless,  Thomas,  n,  52 
Ward,  Ned,  198 
Warren,  Joseph,  42,  78, 140, 

237,  238,  267 
Webb,  Rev.  Benjamin,  524 
Webb,   Rev.    Richard,  33, 

121,  362 
Webber,  Rev.  W.  C.  Fynes, 

358,  515,  522 
Weelkes,  Thomas,   71,  98, 

99,  4°6 
Weldon,  John,  225-9,  263, 

333,  361 
Wellington,    Duke   of,    57 

(note),  103,  394,  450,  512 
Welsh,  Thos.,  431 
Wesley,  Rev.  Charles,  325, 

382,  385 
Wesley,  Rev.  Charles,  Sub- 
dean  of  the  Chapel  Royal, 

57,  214,  385 
Wesley,  Charles,  31  (note), 

279,    319,    325,    382,    387, 

395-400,  401,  479 
Wesley,  Eliza,  384 
Wesley,    Rev.    John,   279, 

382,  383,  385 
Wesley,  Samuel,  279,   319, 

325,    329,    347,    356,    364, 

371,  381-95 


Wesley,  Rev.  Samuel,  395 
Wesley,  Samuel  Sebastian, 

89,  278,  347,  309,  478-96, 

570  (Appendix) 
West,  John  E.,  his  editions 

and  arrangements,  27,  57, 

75,  88,  153,  155,  175,  206, 

237>  253,  305  (note),  322, 

327,  39°,  425,  526 
Westminster    Abbey,    145, 

156 
Westrop,  E.  J.,  253 
Whall,  Benjamin,  135  (note) 
Wheely,  S.,  248 
Whewell,  Dr.,  471 
Whiston's     Cathedral 

Trusts,  441 
Whitaker,  John,  249  (note) 
Whitbroke,  William,  15,  17 
Whitehall,   Chapel  Royal, 

227 
Whitehall  Chapel,  distribu- 
tion of  Royal  Maundy  at, 

50,  305 
Whitelock,  Bulstrode,  112, 

170 
Whyte,  Robert,  20,  54 
Wilbye,  John,  55,  98 
William  IV,  coronation  of, 

272,  406 
Williams,  C.  Lee,  289 
Williams,   Geo.   Ebenezer, 

330 
Willis,  Henry,  541 
Willoughby's  Anthems,  254 
Wilton,  Earl  of,  393,  507 
Wilton,  Rev.  Richard,  551 
Winchester  Cathedral,  139, 

352,  443 
Winchester    College,    229, 

230,  231,  284,  444 
Windsor,   S.    George's 

Chapel,  104, 105, 146,  168, 

216,  437 
Wintle,  Rev.  Ogle,  546 
Wise,    Michael,    124,    132, 

140-6,  193,  263 
Wither,  George,  84 
Wood,   Antony   a,   74,  90, 

143,  169,  170  (note),  193 
Woodyer,lHenry,  architect, 

289,  540 
Woodson,  George,  73 
Wordsworth,    Christopher, 

467 
Wordsworth,  William,  473 
Wren, Bishop,  113 

York  Minster,_fire  at,   154, 

566  (Appendix) 
York  Minster,musical  MSS. 

at,  54,  !54 
Young,  John  M.,  organist 

of  Lincoln,  459,  486 


PLYMOUTH  :    WILLIAM   BRENDON   AND   SON,    LIMITED,   PRINTERS 


